


Percival's Dominatrix

by TheKnittingLady



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds
Genre: BDSM, F/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-02 10:30:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 43
Words: 74,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4056697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKnittingLady/pseuds/TheKnittingLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of a girl named Jessie.  It's also the story of her true love, her mentor, and how they all found their way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**_Part I – Origin_ **

_All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small._

_\- Lao Tzu_

* * *

**Chapter 01**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 1995**

Jessie came home at precisely 4:45 pm.

Home these days was a modern pile of a house, all right angles and smoked glass, in a gated community overlooking a golf course.  It was the sort of place realtors said was made for entertaining, meaning for showing off your disposable income, not for raising a family.  But it was where she had to live for the next four years, so she had to make the best of it.  Still, she called it the Habitrail for it’s obvious resemblance.

She didn’t ride into the main motor court.  Instead she rode around to the side, to a long, blank wall broken only by the occasional utility lighting fixture and occupied by the trash bins.  She rode her bicycle, carefully balancing the load on the racks, up to a plain door.  Inside was a storage area, dark and cool, broken into four locked storage bays.  She unlocked the one on the far end left and brought her bicycle into the space.  It was a tidy, organized space, shelves on one side held matching, clearly labeled storage bins; the other held a rack for her bike and a shelf for her helmet and bins of bike gear.  She left the bike there, removed the bags and cooler from the back, and locked the door behind her. 

She moved to the storage space next door.  This one was also well organized, with more boxes and a chest freezer.  She took some items from the cooler and placed them in the freezer, then removed an aluminum pie plate from the shelf above the freezer.  Using the freezer as a worktop she pulled a can of dog food from one of the grocery bags she’d brought home and dumped it in the pan.  The can went out to the trash bin.  Then she gathered her bags, the cooler and the plate and left through the door opposite the one she’d entered.

This door led to an enclosed courtyard.  At one point it had been a pleasant, grass covered space meant for children’s play time.  But now it was browning and fly ridden, covered in dog feces and large yellow areas killed by dog urine.  The smell was eye watering.  In the middle of it all was the dog in question; a largish sized one of undeterminable breed.  His nails were too long, his coat was matted and filthy and you could see the fleas.  He bounded over; eager for the food she had in her hands.  But she made him wait until she’d walked over to where his food and water bowls waited.  As she’d expected the food bowl was empty save for layers of crust left from the few times food had been placed there.  She placed the plate down and let the dog begin to gobble as she picked up the water bowl and took it over to what was ostensibly a potting bench.  The bowl was slimy, with a bit of green showing around the edge.  She rinsed it under the tap as best she could, filled it, and left it for him.  “I’m sorry.”  She said to the gobbling beast.  “I know this sucks, but this really is the fastest way to a better life for you.”  The dog ignored her.  She turned, gathered her bags once more, and stepped into the house proper.

She left her bags in the cool of the back entry way and turned right.  This was supposed to be the mudroom, but Las Vegas produced little mud to worry about.  Now it held five generous lockers.  She stepped up to one labeled “Jessica” and unlocked it with another key from her ring.  Once inside she pulled out two large, handled baskets of a kind usually meant to take through a market.  She opened the backpack she carried and pulled out a stack of textbooks and notebooks, and her laundry from the day.  They were neatly piled in one of the baskets, save for one slender book.  She checked her notes in that book and swapped out smaller bags that rested on an upper shelf, items she would need for the next day’s activities, all carefully labeled and organized.  With her bag preliminarily packed for the next day she changed from biking shoes to ballet slippers, changed her sweaty gray tank top for a clean one with a pretty print, knocked the dust from her shorts, picked up a notebook from the top shelf and locked her locker behind her.

If one went straight from the back door down the main entry hall one entered the great room of the house.  It was done in a luxurious modern style, one that spoke of carefully tended wealth.  A woman lounged on a sofa there.  Her hair was carefully done and precisely blond, her body had the tightness of much surgical intervention, her tan was the exact color of coffee with a tablespoon of cream, her artificial nails were the Chanel color of the moment, and her jewelry was both excessive and genuine.  She was chatting on the phone as usual.  “So is Marjorie really going after that new tennis instructor?  Are you serious?”  Jessie shoved the notebook and a pen under the woman’s nose.  When the woman looked up with an annoyed frown Jessie pointed to her watch.  It was now five minutes to five.  The woman huffed and rolled her eyes.  “Hang on, my kid needs something.”  The woman put the date and time of 4:55 on the next line in the book and signed it, before shoving it back at Jessie and waving her off.  Jessie smiled, mouthed Thank You, and returned the book to her locker. 

When you turned left from the back door you entered what was now called the Kid’s Kitchen.  Three sides of the room had been divided into five separate areas, each with a two-sided upper cabinet, a work space in front of an appliance garage, two drawers under the counter, a single lower cabinet, and a small bar fridge.  Jessie brought the second basket from her locker, the grocery bags and the cooler over to the one labeled “Jessica” that sat at right angles to the one labeled “Sam”.  She unlocked both sets of cabinets and refrigerators and went to work, unloading groceries, packing things into the fridges, and putting the bags into the pile to be recycled.  On the fourth side was a sink, with open counters on either side.  Under the sink was an open space which currently held a large plastic basket filled with moldering, crusted dishes.  On either side were three cabinets.  Jessie retrieved a bottle of dish soap from the one unlocked, unlabeled cabinet and filled one half of the sink with warm, soapy water.  Directly above the sink was a microwave.  On either side were three wire baskets, mounted to the wall like shelves and locked.  Five were empty.  In the one labeled “Jessica” on the left there was a set of lunch dishes.  They were retrieved and placed in the hot water.  That readied she went about preparing food, tossing her used utensils into the sink as she went.

Ae she worked she could hear sounds from the rest of the house.  The front door opened and closed, and there was a heavy foot fall in the front room.  “Hello Arturo darling.”  Jessica’s mother said.  “How was your day?”  There was a deep muttering, in reply, but Jessica couldn’t make out the words.  “No, your kids aren’t home yet.”  More muttering.  “I have no idea.  And it was Anthony’s turn to cook, too.”  More muttering.  “We’ll go out.”  Then there was the tapping of heels on the floor.  Jessie’s mother strode into the room, bristling with angry energy.  “We’re going out to dinner.  Are you ready?”

“Grandpa can’t walk that far.”  Jessie replied, her voice calm and even.  She continued to scrape carrots as she spoke. “His gout is acting up.”

“Fuck!”  Her mother replied.  “What a pain in the ass!”

“It’s all right.  You go out to dinner, I have it covered.”

“Thank god.”  Jessie’s mother turned on her heel and returned to the main room.

A few minutes later the back door opened again.  Now Jessie knew that size did not always correlate with health.  Take her friend Lanny for example, she was a healthy and strong young woman despite always complaining about carrying more weight than she should.  But the girl who walked through the door at twenty past five was not the healthy kind of heavy.  Her skin was grey and pocked with acne, her hair was greasy and lank and currently pink, purple and turquoise.  Her weight made her breath heavy even just walking in from the back, her t-shirt and shorts were noticeably unwashed and at a distance Jessie could smell the cheap cologne covering BO, cigarette smoke, and a sweetish smell.  “Hey Maria.”  She said.

“Hey.”  Maria waddled, there was no other word for it, past her to the section of kitchen marked with her name and started unpacking her own groceries.  Bottles of soda and boxes of cheap Chinese food filled the fridge, packages of cookies and bags of chips filled the cupboard.  “Tony home?”

“Not yet.”  Jessie turned away and tucked a small tray with four homemade biscuits into the toaster oven.

“So what the fuck are we supposed to do for dinner?”  Maria asked as she pulled open a bag of Cheetos.

Jessie pulled open a bag of salad mix and started building two bowls.  “Mom said she and Arturo are going out somewhere.”

“Cool!”  Maria headed out into the main house, likely to invite herself along.

Jessie continued to work, packing some things into her fridge, some into Sam’s, and some into the basket at her feet.  Once she had all the food prepared she washed up her dishes, dried them with a towel pulled from one of her drawers, put them away neatly into the correct cabinets and locked everything up behind her.  She took her small bag of trash out to the bins, stopping to retrieve and toss the aluminum pie plate she’d used for the dog.  She came back in just as Arturo, Maria and her mother were leaving by the front door, without even saying good-bye.

Jessie picked up her basket of books and her basket of food and headed up the back stairs. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 1995**

At the top she turned right, to a door at the end of the hall, where she knocked.  “Who is it?”  A rough, male voice asked.

Jessie opened the door and stuck her head in.  “It’s me, Grandpa.”

“Come on in.  Shhhh.”

She entered the suite, leaving her books by the door.  It was a neat set of rooms, bedroom, bathroom and living area, tidy to the point of being Spartan.  The one luxury was the large plasma TV on one wall.  In front of it sat a man well into is 70’s, his face lined with age, a few wisps of white hair decorating his scalp, one badly swollen foot resting on a stool in front of him.  He was watching a golf game.  Jessie looked over at the screen as she set a small table for two at the far end of the room, and unpacked the food she’d brought up.  She didn’t say anything until the put sank the hole.  “That game is in California.”  She said.  “We’re not going to distract the golfers from here.”

“That’s not the point of it.”  Her grandfather said.  “What have you got there?”

“Beef stew, biscuits, green salad and ice tea.”  She replied.  “I put your lunch for tomorrow in your fridge, tuna salad sandwich, carrot sticks, some fruit and lemon cookies.  Can you make it over?”

“Yea.  It’s a little better today.”  He retrieved a sturdy can and hobbled his way to the table.  “You should have brought diet Coke, that tea is all sugar.”

“The doctor said you don’t have to worry about sugar, remember?  But he said that the sodium in diet Coke is bad for your blood pressure and the phosphoric acid will aggravate your gout.  So you get ice tea.”  She sat across from him and put her napkin in her lap.

“This stew from your Grandma’s recipe?”

“Yep.  It’s the batch I made last week-end; I pulled it out of the freezer yesterday.”  He chuckled at that.  “It’s Anthony’s night to cook.”  She said.

“Figured.  Did they go out to dinner?”

“They did.  I assumed you wouldn’t want to go.”

“Nah.  It’s all show-off stuff.  You could have gone though, I can fend for myself.”

Jessie smiled.  “You’re my excuse.  They’ll be out for hours and I have homework.  Mr. Bryant already has a history test going, two weeks after Christmas break.”

“Good.  Keep you on your toes.  So, how was school today?”

* * *

 

After dinner Jessie packed the dishes in her basket and said good night to her Grandfather.   She stopped in her room to drop off her books, scoop the litter box in her bedroom and collect the food and water dishes for her cat.  Gigi and Bear were small tabbies, at that time of day happily curled up between her pillows.  They were very healthy kitties, with trimmed nails and sleek coats and were socialized enough to allow just about anyone to pet them exchange for purring.  After a few pets she went back downstairs to the empty house to wash their dinner dishes and return with clean food and water bowls, a thermos of tea and her share of the lemon cookies.  She locked her door behind her and shoved a wedge under the door.

One of the benefits to this new house was that they’d been allowed to design their own rooms.  She’d painted her walls her favorite color, the delicate Alice blue, and chosen white built-in furniture with an antiqued patina.  Her wood floors were easy to clean, and the large braided rug easy to take out and shake.  Her bed was covered in a patchwork quilt and decorated with pillows trimmed in lace, and the few pictures on her walls showed peaceful, country scenes.  Other than her desk there were no open spaces in the room where clutter could build up, everything had a place and was carefully put away.  The only odd pieces in the room were the large cat trees over by the windows.  Gigi and Bear lived in their rooms, a small, screened balcony connected her room to her grandfather’s, and during the day he’d open both doors and let them run back and forth so he could play with them too.

After a few minutes of chasing toys on strings and laser lights Jessie turned on an automatic toy and turned to her desk.  It was 6:45 on the nose.  She’d study until 9:30, then take a shower behind a second locked door and be in bed precisely at 10 pm, with Gigi and Bear cuddled in with her.

At 10:12 she heard the thumping of bass music driving into the courtyard.  A car parked out there.  Eventually the music went off.  She waited.  At 10:30 someone tried her doorknob.  After a few tried whoever was there gave it up.  She let out a long breath and went to sleep.

* * *

 

The next morning Jessie woke at six.  She dressed for riding a bicycle in the desert heat, shorts, a tank top, a layer of sunscreen.  She packed her basket for what she needed for the day before scooping the box again and taking it with the used water and food bowls downstairs.  Once again the house was quiet as if it was empty.

She brought fresh food and water back up, collected her basket, and bid farewell to Bear and Gigi before locking them safely in her room.  Once back downstairs she met her Grandfather, sitting at the long dining table, the paper open in front of him.  “’Morning Grandpa!”  She sang out.

“Good morning Jessie.  I managed to get the kettle on.”

“Thank you.”  She went to make breakfast, bowls of fruit and granola for both of them, hard boiled eggs for herself, hot tea in her mug and hot instant decaf in his.  They sat at the dining room table and discussed the morning’s news over breakfast.

As breakfast wound down a man came down the grand main staircase.  He was short, stocky and swarthy, with a thick beard, slicked back hair, and a very expensive suit.  “Good morning Sam.”  He said with a clear accent.  “Good morning Jessica.”

“Good morning.”  Grandpa Sam replied.

“Good morning Arturo.”  Jessica replied.

“Have a good day.”  Arturo said to both of them, before he stepped out the front door.

“At least he’s not too much of a pain in the ass.”  Grandpa Sam said.  “Yet.  Going to be home at the usual time today?”

“Of course.  You have the Senior Center board meeting today, don’t forget.  The transport van will be here to pick you up at 12:30.”

“Right, got it.”

“And don’t forget to put up your dishes.”

“I won’t.”

She collected the breakfast dishes, washed them, dried them, and put them away.  Then she packed the contents of her book basket back into her backpack, and stashed the two baskets in her locker.  She gave her grandfather a kiss on the cheek good-bye, went out the way she had come in the night before, and stopped to give the dog more fresh water.  Then she collected her bicycle and headed out on her way.

* * *

 

**The Meadows School  
Las Vegas, NV**

“Hey.”  Tam said as Jessica rode up to the bike rack outside the gym.

“Hey.”  Jessica dismounted even as the bike was coming to a stop, and started locking up.  “So how was your night?”

Tam was tiny even for her age, all fine bones and a tendency to disappear when she turned sideways.  Like Jessie she had ridden in that morning.  “Gram lost her glasses last night.  She freaked.”

“Did you find them?”

“In the fridge.”

Jessie winced.  “New meds not helping?”

Tam sighed.  “Too soon to tell.”  Tam had to help care for her grandmother while her mom worked two jobs at the casinos, trying not to let go of their house after a nasty divorce.  Thankfully Tam’s father, who didn’t want to be a hands-on father at all, was willing and able to keep paying her tuition.  “We have to give it a couple of weeks.”

“Sorry.”  Jessie sighed as they walked into the locker room.  “May I say how glad I am that I don’t have to deal with Alzheimer’s on top of PTSD.”

“No kidding.  At least with your grandfather the meds are helping.”

“Hey hey.”  Lanny said as she walked in not long after them.

“Hey.”  Tam replied.  “Get Josh to school all right?”

“Yeah.  Little pain in the ass forgot to ask Mom to sign his permission slip before she went off to work this morning.  And I’m out of carbon paper.”

“Got you covered.”  Jessie pulled an envelope of carbon paper out of the back of her planning binder and passed it over before going back to changing clothes.

“You are amazing.  Thank you so much.”  Lanny sat on the bench in the middle of the locker room, pulled her exemplar of her mother’s signature from her bag, and set about forging it. 

“Loser’s club has to stick together.”  Jessie pulled her penny loafers from the bottom of her pack.

Lanny’s story of divorced parents was the same as Tam’s, was the same as Jessie’s had been, except that Lanny was looking after her chronically ill little brother while her mom worked shifts, Jessie had never met her father, and her mother had recently married Arturo.  They called themselves the losers because unlike their other classmates, who could throw themselves entirely into the battle for the future, they had other responsibilities, likely causing them to lose out on the college game.  “Little pain in the ass is going to drive me insane someday.”  She said as she carefully traced the signature.

“At least Josh tries to help himself.”  Tam said as she pulled on her white oxford shirt.  “At least he can.”

“Yeah, I suppose he’s better than most.”

“Just think, he could be coming home five hours past curfew and likely drunk.”  Jessie  said.

“Not a chance.  And not my problem, by the time he’s sixteen I’ll be twenty and off at college.  He’ll be Mom’s problem then.”

“You mean he won’t always be your baby boy?”  Tam teased.

“Yeah, no.  I mean, I love him but this whole divorce thing is bullcrap.  How does it look?”

Jessie buttoned up her blue plaid uniform skirt before looking over Lanny’s shoulder.  “Looks good.  You didn’t go off line at all.”

“Excellent!”  Lanny set the permission slip aside and hurried to change into her school uniform.  “So, you ready for Bryant’s test?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Tam said.  “That’s cruel.”

“They’re just trying to prepare us for the future.”  Jessie replied.  “Get us ready for college and all.”

“Yeah, but we’re not college kids.  We’re high school freshman.  They could cut us some slack.”

Jessie and Lanny both laughed at her for that.

As soon as they were changed they collected their books and headed out to start their day.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 03**

**Trails Community Center  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 1995**

Introduction to Literature and Composition, Latin level 1, World History Honors,  Pre-calculus Honors, Biology 1 Honors, Choir, and Website Design.  It was, for a school like The Meadows, the bare minimum of a schedule but it still took a ton of time.  As it was Wednesdays were the only days when she and the other Losers got out at three.  They changed quickly and rode the three miles to the local community center in the heat of the midday sun.  It was worth it.  Off to one side was a space where various teen support groups met, children of alcoholics, children of incarcerated parents, children of parents with cancer, and so on.  Wednesday afternoon it was an AACY group, American Association of Caregiving Youth, where a group from the local hospital offered everything from advice on social service resources to help with homework that an infirm parent might not be able to provide.

But what was more important was that they could relax.  For just a little while every week the Losers could set aside their responsibilities.  Jessie’s grandfather was at the Senior Center, Tam’s grandmother was meeting with her physical therapist, and Lanny’s little brother was in occupational therapy.  All of their chores were done, their homework caught up, their responsibilities met, at least for the time being.  So they came here to just chill out for a couple of hours with people who understood until they had to head home and pick up the ropes once more.

“Hey, look who’s here!”  Lanny said, nodding at a pale blue vintage bike on the rack.

Jessie brightened into a smile at the sight of it, the kind that brought a sparkle to her eye.  “Awesome!”

“Have fun.”  Tam said.  “I totally need help with my Algebra.  Maybe someone here can help me figure this out.”

“You and me both sister.”  Lanny agreed.

“Liars.”  Jessie told them.

Tam and Lanny grinned at each other.  “This is true.”

While they went off that way Jessie turned to the game tables in the far corner, but the figure she was looking for wasn’t there.  He was always there though.  Maybe he’d sold his bike when he moved.  That was likely; he’d needed all the pocket money he could get.  But for a long moment the disappointment burned.

Then someone tugged on her long, dark braid.  She spun, and her grin came back as her heart lept.  “Hey stranger.”  She said.

“Jessie!”  The lanky boy standing there gave her a big, tight hug, one that might have lasted a beat too long.  Puberty was a thing, but it was a new thing, so she didn’t want to think about what that tingle meant right now.  “I was hoping I’d see you here.”  He said.

“I wouldn’t miss it.  You got a lot taller.”  Thirteen years to her fourteen, but he was a head taller than her already.

“Yeah.  I know. At least Mom still recognized me.”

“Thank goodness for that.  Game?”  He nodded so she sat across from him at one of the chess boards.  “Guess who got a computer for Christmas.”

His grin grew as bright as hers.  “Really?”

“Yep.  They give you an e-mail account out there?”

“Yeah, but...”  His lips twisted as he studied the board.

“But what?”

“I’d rather just write.  Letters are more....”  He blushed but took a deep breath.  “...romantic.  In the historical sense.”  He hastened to add.

Romantic?  For a moment her nerves jangled.  “Yeah, but I don’t want to risk my new step-siblings getting in to my mail.”

“Good point.  Spencer-dot-reid-at-caltech-dot-com.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs -_

_Jessie:  It’s been two months since we moved into the Habitrail.  Time for the sword of doom to fall._

_Spencer:  Oh?_

_Jessie:  Yep, Brenda’s coming back today._

_Spencer:  Brenda?_

_Jessie:  The court mandated parenting coach._

* * *

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**February 1995**

 “Hello Brenda.”  Jessie’s mom said as she opened the door.

“Hello Kim.”  The woman who came in had a practical look about her.  She wore a business pants suit from a decent department store and large glasses.  She hefted her large tote over to the dining table.  “Hello Arturo, hello Sam.  Hey kids.  Is Angie not joining us?”

“We are waiting on her.”  Arturo growled.  He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“I am a bit early.”  She started unpacking her bag,

The doorbell rang again.  Kim answered it, and let in a woman of remarkably similar looks and build, but rather than a tight dress and heels she was wearing a pantsuit, practical shoes, little jewelry and carried her own briefcase.  “Hello Brenda.”  She said to the woman who had just come in as she breezed past Kim without a word. “Hello Sam.”  She said with the same smile.  But that smile froze when she turned to the other side of the table.  “Arturo.”

“Angela.”  He replied with a curt nod.

Brenda took a deep breath and began.  “So, as you all know, we are here to see how the kids here are handling the adaptation to the new living arraignments, and how well they are coping with the increased responsibility and privileges we’ve given them.  If they’re doing well, great, we’ll continue as we are.  If not then they’ll have to lose some privileges until they show that they can handle them.”

“This is bullshit.”  Anthony said.  He was sixteen already, tall and solid, dressed in the latest gangster rap fashion.

“No, this is learning how to be a grown up.”  Angela said to him, annoyance crackling in her voice.  “Something I would have taught you a long time ago if your Aunt Peggy wouldn’t have gotten in the way.  I’m just sad you have to learn it now.”

“Don’t say anything bad about Aunt Peggy, bitch!”  Anthony snapped back.

“Enough!”  Arturo said.  “Do not speak to your mother that way!”

Anthony glared but backed off.  “Whatever.”  He muttered.

“I don’t see why Aunt Peggy can’t live with us anymore.”  Maria said.

“Because your father and his mistress over here need to learn how to actually parent.”  Angela snapped back.  “Of course if they don’t want to you two can always come live with Howard and me.”

“I will not have a strange man raising my children.”  Arturo said.

“Then you need to step up and raise them!”  Angela snapped back.  “And stop letting that sister of yours spoil them rotten!”

“I can raise my own children!”

“You’re never home to raise your own children!  That’s why the judge made you get a coach, so you can learn how to be a father!”

Jessie scooted a little closer to Grandpa Sam.  It was true, her mother, Kim, had been having an affair with Arturo for years before Angie found out and divorced him.  But still, even though Arturo had lots and lots of money, this situation just never felt right to her.  Grandpa Sam must have sensed it, because he reached over and took her hand.  “Did you take your pills today?”  She whispered.

“Two.”  He replied.  “Doc said I could.”

That was good.  Grandpa Sam likely needed that many anti-anxiety meds on board.  All the tension in the air today would set off his PTSD something horrid.  The last thing she needed was him having a panic attack on top of everything else.

“People, please.”  Brenda was saying, cutting off the well practiced battle.  “Let’s just get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I should get to where our dear (future) Dr. Reid makes an appearance.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 04**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**February 1995**

“So, let’s start with the really important stuff.”  Brenda said, sitting down and opening her files.  “As you know I had the kids drug tested last week.”

“Bullshit.”  Anthony murmured again, as Maria rolled her eyes and folded her arms in a defensive posture.

Jessie didn’t react.  For one thing, even though having Brenda pull her out of class to go to the lab for the test had been embarrassing, she hadn’t been worried about it.  She personally thought any and all drug use was a stupid waste of time and money, and alcohol just tasted nasty.  And for another she would not lose her self-control in front of those two louts.  That embarrassment was not something she could bear.

“So Jessie tested clean across the board.”  Brenda said, looking at her notes.

Grandpa Sam patted her hand.  “Good girl.”  He murmured.

“Maria tested positive for nicotine, THC, and Chlamydia.” 

“For what?”  Arturo asked.

“She’s smoking, doing pot and fucking around.”  Angie replied.

“You don’t know that!”  Maria shrieked. 

“You got the clap!”  Kim replied.  “How do you think that happens?”

“She’s going to need to see a doctor for antibiotics.”  Brenda said.  “And I recommend birth control.”

“Yeah.”  Kim said.  “For both of them.”  She shot a look at Jessie.

Grandpa Sam bristled.  “She’s not screwing around.”

“Not yet.”

It was Jessie’s turn to pat his hand.  “It’s okay Pop, I don’t mind.”

“Hrumph.”

“Anthony also tested positive for THC and Chlamydia and he also had a blood alcohol level of .07 at ten in the morning.”  Brenda said.  “He’s going to need antibiotics as well.”

“And you might want to invest in a condom factory.”  Kim said to her husband.

Arturo growled at his son but didn’t say anything.

“Now, per our agreement car privileges at sixteen come with the responsibility not to do drugs or drink in public.  Since Anthony has shown that he cannot handle the responsibility of a car he will lose the privilege for the remainder of the school semester.”  Brenda said.  “There will be a tow truck here within the hour to take the car off to a storage facility.”

“What?!?”  Anthony exploded.

“This is how discipline works.”  Brenda said patiently to the adults, but in a way to the children as well.  “Teenagers get privileges when they show they can handle the responsibility of them.  Privileges are revoked when they show they cannot handle the responsibility.”  Angie and Grandpa Sam nodded their agreement, Kim rolled her eyes in boredom and Arturo looked confused.  But he didn’t say anything.

“This is bullshit!”  Anthony got up and started stalking around.  “I can’t believe you’re letting this bitch...”

“Sit down!!”  Arturo thundered at his son.  “The judge says we must do as she says so we do!  Understand!”

With his own growl Anthony returned to his seat.

“If you remain clean through the rest of the school year you can have the car back for the summer.”  Brenda said to Anthony.  “The choice is yours.  Maria, if you don’t clean up before you turn sixteen then you will not get driving privileges.”

“Whatever.”  Maria replied.

“What about her?”  Arturo pointed to Jessie.

“She tested clean.  That means that so far she has shown the responsibility needed to be a good driver.”  Brenda replied.

“God only knows where she learned that.”  Angela said, with a tight smile to Kim.

“Now, on to school.  I have reports on all three children.”  Brenda opened up another file.  “As we agreed, school performance correlates with internet privileges.  Jessie has perfect attendance so far this year and a 4.0 average.  She’s number two in her class. Very good.  She gets to keep her computer in her room.”

Jessie returned the small smile as Grandpa Sam patted her hand again.

“Why not number one?”  Kim asked.

“I could only fit two electives this year.  Monica Parkhurst is taking three electives and is on the lacrosse team.”  Jessie replied.  “I just don’t have the time.”

“Make time.”  Kim said, as if speaking to a five year old.

“If you take over cooking and cleaning and running all my errands for me she will.”  Grandpa Sam replied.

Kim rolled her eyes.  “Whatever.”

“Anthony, you have also managed to keep it above the 3.0 threshold with a 3.1.  Your school doesn’t keep the best of attendance records, but your grades are decent enough.  You get to keep your computer as well.  Maria, you’ve been missing classes regularly and your GPA is a 2.4.  No more computer in your room.”

“Whyyyyyy!!!!”  Maria called out.

“Because you’ve been screwing around when you should be working.”  Angie replied. 

“I’m going to tell Aunt Peggy!”

“I don’t care!”

“Next!”  Brenda stopped them once more.  “Chores.  Let’s start with pets.”  She pulled out the first of many clipboards and stood.  “Oldest first.  Let’s check on your dog, Anthony.  Where is he?”

“Out in the yard.”

Brenda headed that way, followed by Angela, Arturo and Kim.  The rest of them waited.  It only took a few minutes before they returned.  “I’m ashamed of you.”  Angela said, tears in her eyes.

“I’ll have Bowser taken to a boarding facility outside of the city.”  Brenda was saying.  “After he’s been cleared by the vet.”

“You’re taking my dog!”  Anthony screeched. 

“You don’t deserve him!”  Angie replied.  “That’s abuse is what you’ve been doing!”

“You have a bodyguard, don’t you?”  Brenda asked Arturo.

“Yes.”

“Does he work out every day?”

“I believe so.”

“All right.”  She turned to Anthony.  “If you clean up that yard, repaint the wall and replant the garden and you start running with your father’s man every morning you will prove to me that you can look after a dog and give him proper exercise.  Do that for at least six weeks and you can have Bowser back.”

“Fuck lady!”

Angie turned to Arturo.  “Are you going to say anything about his attitude?”  Arturo just glared at his ex in reply.

Brenda turned to Maria.  “Go bring your birds down.”

Maria hauled herself out of her chair and huffed her way upstairs.  A few minutes later she came back down with the cage of birds.  It was filthy, the paper on the bottom had never been changed, the water container was even slimier than Bowser’s bowl, and the birds themselves were in a sorry state.  “They bite me.”  She whined.

“That’s because you haven’t been socializing them correctly.  They go too.”  Brenda replied.  She took the cage and held it at arm’s length until she placed it by the door.

“Aunt Peggy wouldn’t take my birds away!”  Maria cried as she threw herself into her chair.

“Poor birds.”  Grandpa Sam replied.

“Shut up!”

“Maria!” Angie said.  “Show some respect for your elders!”

“Last but not least, Jessie.  Let’s go have a look.”  This time the four adults trooped upstairs.  Jessie wasn’t worried, she sat calmly as the other two kids sneered at her.   “...not encrusted with dirty litter, so it’s been cleaned out within the past seven days.”  Brenda  was explaining to the adults as they came back down.  “The average cat urinates two to three times a day, and defecates once, so this has been scooped within the past 24 hours.  Very good.  And those bowls look clean.”

“I change them twice a day.”  Jessie replied.

“I change them twice a day.”  Anthony teased back.

“No, that’s good.”  Brenda nodded.  “And your room is nicely done and very well kept.”

 “Bitch.”  Maria hissed, her eyes narrowing at Jessie.

They had moved on to kitchen privileges, starting with Maria’s section.  “You’re letting her eat all this junk food?”  Angie was asking.

“Up until now the choice has been hers to make.”  Brenda replied.  “But these are not responsible choices, you’re right.”

“What’s wrong with what I eat?”  Maria asked.  “I’m a healthy, curvy woman!  You just want me to develop an eating disorder like skinny bitch over there!”  She pointed to Kim.

“No, we expect you to eat a reasonable, healthy diet.  Depending on how quickly you go through all of this, this is not that.”  Brenda replied.  She moved to Anthony’s.  “Again, no plates, no glasses?”  Anthony shrugged.  “And no food.  What’s down here?”  She opened his fridge and they all gagged at the smell that rolled out.  Brenda closed the door quickly.  “Right.  Okay, Jessie?”  Jessie stepped back and let the adults inspect her part of the kitchen.  “Very nice.”  Brenda said.

“Where did you learn to cook?”  Angie said.

“Umm, school.”  She’d actually taken nutrition and cooking classes at the counseling program, but she wasn’t going to talk about that in front of the others.  That was the special place for Losers, not for louts. 

“Nice.”

“Her Grandmother wanted her to go to that school.”  Grandpa Sam said.  “She insisted.”

“Good for her.”  Angie replied.

“Whatever.”  Kim said, rolling her eyes.

“Now what’s here?”  Brenda pulled the basket out from under the sink.  “As you know they each got to choose their own pattern for dishes and things when we gave them each kitchen privileges.  I photographed and cataloged every piece, so we could see where things ended up.  And I told you and your maid service to put any dishes and things left lying around into this basket for collection.  Now then.”  She pulled on gloves and separated all the mucky pieces into piles by pattern.  Then she checked her inventory list.  “This is why Anthony and Maria don’t have any dishes, they never washed them.”

“What about Jessie?”  Arturo asked.

“Hers are all clean and accounted for.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, unlike your precious blood she’s actually figured out how to wash dishes.”  Angela told him.

“They’re your children too.”  Brenda replied.

“Nu uh.  His aunt Peggy got her claws on them as soon as she could pull them off the tit.  She wouldn’t let me near them.”

“That’s because you spent all your time at the school!”  Arturo thundered.

“I went back to school so I wouldn’t have to watch her spoil them!”  Angela snapped back.

“Kitchen privileges.”  Brenda stopped the fighting once more.  “Jessie can keep hers, Anthony and Maria have shown that they can’t handle the responsibility.”

“Whatever.”  Anthony said.

“What!?!”  Maria shrieked. 

“From now on if you want to use the kitchen to get a snack you have to ask your parents for permission.  And they will supervise to see that you are eating healthy food and cleaning up after yourselves.”

“What!?!”  Maria said.  “She’ll starve me to death!”

“And that’s after you two clean out your spaces, including the refrigerators and wash all of your dishes.”  Brenda replied firmly.  “Now, let’s check your rooms.”

The day went on.  Jessie’s room passed inspection, and she was allowed to keep her locked door and her privacy.  The other two rooms were disaster areas, so locks were removed and they would have to go through them every week, with either Arturo or Kim in attendance.  Jessie kept up her laundry, and so was allowed to choose her own wardrobe.  The other two had never done laundry, their clothing could not be redeemed, and so they had to toss everything and start over with clothing Arturo and Angela chose.  Each child had one special responsibility as well, Jessie for Grandpa Sam, Maria for the game room and home theater in the basement, and Anthony for the pool and spa area.  Jessie never used the basement or the pool, so it was no loss to her when they were declared off limits to the kids, but because Grandpa Sam spoke so highly of her help and because she never missed curfew she was allowed to continue to set her own schedule.  And so on and on until her life remained unchanged, but the other two had the restrictions of eight year olds.  And they were all in high school.  But Jessie was happy, all her hard work was paying off, at least in Brenda’s eyes.

Those restrictions meant that parents had to be involved.  Since Anthony and Maria were living with their father and stepmother Angie could only do so much.  And Arturo had the busy schedule of a casino mogul in Vegas.  That meant the lion’s share of the parenting now fell to Kim. “If you ever pull this crap...”  She seethed at her daughter.

“I wouldn’t.”  Jessie replied.

“You better not!  Because if you do so help me god I will tear your hide off and nail it to the fucking wall!”

“Enough.”  Brenda said firmly.  “You don’t need to be mad at Jessie.  She’s proven herself a very responsible and capable young woman.  You should be proud of her.”

“Whatever.”  Kim snapped back.

* * *

 

_Chat logs -_

_Jessie:  That’s what I was afraid of.  Mom assumes that since the other two are fuck ups I’m a fuck up too.  No matter how hard I work to prove otherwise._

_Spencer:  It sounds like your life hasn’t changed though._

_Jessie:  Yeah but the attitude around here has.  It’s ugly now.  I mean I can handle that, but it would be nice to be appreciated, you know?_

_Spencer:  Believe me, I know._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 05**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**February 1995**

Some parents do try to do the right thing.  Others take the easy way out.  The Saturday after Brenda’s first visit Jessie was up in the laundry room when her mother found her.  “Oh good, you’re doing laundry.”

“Yep.”  Jessie replied.  She was just folding their towels.

“Go get Maria’s and Tony’s out of their rooms and get it done.”  Ordered delivered, Kim turned to leave

Wait a minute.  “No.”  Jessie said.  “I’m not going to do that.”

Kim turned back, visibly annoyed.  “Excuse me.”

“I’m responsible for my laundry and Grandpa Sam’s laundry.  Brenda said they need to be responsible for their own laundry.  I’m not their slave.  And if I go in their rooms they’ll just accuse me of stealing or something, that’s a set up for fail.  So no, I’m not going to do their laundry.”

Kim’s anger flared.  “I don’t give a flying fuck what Brenda said!  Go do the fucking laundry!”  She yelled.

Jessie stayed calm, even as her heart was pounding.  She was determined to maintain her self control.  “No.”  She replied.

“GO!!!”

“No.”

Kim reached out one claw and snagged Jessie by her braided hair, pulling it back hard and making her yelp in pain.  “Listen you little shit!”  She lifted her hand to deliver a royal smack.

“That’s enough!!”  Grandpa Sam said from the doorway.  He came in and pulled Jessie away from her mother, putting her behind him.  “If you lay a hand on her again I’ll report you to CPS myself!”

“Go right ahead.”  Kim sneered.  She looked at her daughter.  “You want to go to juvie?  Prison?  That’s where they send kids like you.  I’m sure those bull dykes would love to get their hands on you.”

“No they won’t.  I checked with my lawyer.  As long as there is an adult willing and able to take responsibility,” He pointed to his own chest.  “...she gets to stay in her home.  They’ll make _you_ leave.  And Mr. Moneybags too, when I tell them that he comes sniffing around her door at night.”

Kim narrowed her eyes at her daughter.  “How dare you!  He’s my husband!”

“She keeps her door locked!”  Grandpa Sam thundered.  “You want to know where he might be cheating, go look where he found you!  You know good and well if CPS gets involved in any way Angela will use that to get custody.  You want to be the one to explain to Mr. Moneybags that his kids were taken away because you couldn’t keep your temper?”  Kim’s eyes narrowed, but she backed down.  “Now go get those two to do their own goddammed laundry.”

“They won’t listen to me!”  Kim spat back, going from angry harpy to whining teenager in a heartbeat.  “It’s hard!”

“That is not our problem.  You chose to marry him.  Now go on and let her do her work.”  Kim sneered at the both of them, turned on her heel and left.  Grandpa Sam pulled Jessie into a hug.  “Don’t worry about her.  She’ll leave you alone, she won ‘t risk her bank account.”

“I believe that.”  Jessie replied. 

“You might think about cutting your hair though.  One less thing to fuss over.”

“But Grandma Elsie loved my hair!  She said it makes me look like a princess!  She said even though Mom never liked it someday I’d find a prince who would.”

Grandpa Sam kissed her on the forehead.  “I know you want to keep everything you can to remember your Grandma by.”  He said.  “But you can be a princess with short hair.  A real prince would understand.”

* * *

 

**The Meadows School  
Las Vegas, NV**

“What are those?”  Lanny asked.

“Extra-long Amish hairpins.”  Jessie replied, popping open one of the bags.  “I found them at the Farmer’s Market on the way in.”

“What are you doing with them?”

“Eliminating a point of failure.”  She stood at the mirror in the locker room with the hairpins and considered the braid hanging down her back.  “How am I going to do this and still wear my helmet?”

“Come here.  Sit down.”  Tam said.  She took the hairpins and Jessie’s braid, twining it into a knot low on her neck.  “Feel this?  Now try it.”  Jessie did.  “Put pins here and here...and here and here.  Okay, give it a shake.”

Jessie shook her head violently but the knot stayed.  She went and slipped her bike helmet over her head, and found that the knot rode just under the back.  “Nice.  Thanks!”

“No problem.”

“Man that makes you look older.”  Lanny said.

Jessie went and looked in the mirror.  A grown woman looked back at her, or very nearly so.  “That’s not always a bad thing.”

* * *

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

Three days later Jessie came home to find Kim giving a tour to a woman in a neat housekeeper’s uniform.  “And this is the kitchen.”  She said.  “Dinner needs to be on the table by six every night.  Breakfast at seven.  Oh, this is my daughter, Jessie.”  She put on a pained, fake smile.  “I’ll show you where she and my father keep their rooms and belongings.  You’ll be cooking and cleaning and covering the laundry for my step kids but not for those two.  She doesn’t need the help.  She’s re – spon – sib – ble.”  That last was thrown with a sneer at her daughter.

“It’s okay.”  Grandpa Sam told her later.  “Our privacy is more valuable.”

* * *

 

**April 1995**

 Kim had the maid service clean up the dishes and clean out the cabinets and small fridges, but she then let them keep whatever they wanted in the main pantry and refrigerator and let her step-children help themselves whenever they liked.  Soon enough there was a regular parade of pizza, Chinese and Tex-Mex food being delivered on top of what the housekeeper cooked.  And Anthony and Maria kept it all for themselves.  “He won’t show it for a while, because he’s a boy and all.”  Grandpa Sam told her.  “But eating all that junk food is turning your sister into a tub of lard there.”

“She’s not my sister.”  Jessie looked over her figure in Grandpa Sam’s mirror.  She was tall, likely taking after her missing father, but still on the flat side.  And Maria sure had boys panting after her curves.  Maybe she should do something about this.  But not on junk food, garbage in, garbage out as they said.

“All right, not your sister.  If it’s any consolation the doctor said my cholesterol is right where it should be.  My blood pressure is going down.  And I haven’t had a gout flare up in weeks.”

Jessie beamed at her grandfather.  “That’s awesome.”

“And if your cooking is keeping me healthy it’s likely doing the same for you.”

“Good point.”  But still.  “Do you mind getting up a little earlier?”

“No, why?”

“I might start using the school gym in the mornings.”  Squats were supposed to do something or other for your backside, and there had to be something that would help her fill in a bit.  Coach Stevens and the nutritionist at group would help her figure it out.

“All right.”

 “Is it me or are they getting rewarded for being lazy, greedy slobs?”  Jessie asked.

“I know it looks that way.”  Grandpa Sam told her.  “But remember what your Grandma Elsie taught you.  Learning to discipline yourself and put off an immediate reward for a greater one will pay off in the long run, just like it did for her.  She was a success for decades!  Just you watch and see.  Look at that boy you keep talking about.   College at your age has to be hard, I’m sure he’d want to come home and have his mother cooking and cleaning for him while he watched TV all day.  Any kid would.”

“I’m sure.”  Diana Reid wasn’t really capable of that anymore, but that knowledge stayed in the support group.

“But he’s sticking it out for the greater reward. He’s going to be something someday, when those two are still living in the basement.”

“Yeah, I guess so.  You know, you and Grandma Elsie never said what she did for a living.”

For a moment Grandpa Sam looked uncomfortable.  “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

After Brenda’s second visit in April where there was more evidence of drug use and sexual activity and their grades were worse than ever Kim and Arturo gave up, washed their hands of the whole mess and went back to the lives of a wealthy mogul and his trophy wife, spending all of their time at the clubs downtown.  Eventually they were rarely seen at home.  When that started happening Anthony and Maria started going out with their friends at night, being picked up and coming home whenever.  “What the hell am I supposed to do about it?”  Grandpa Sam said.  “They’re not my grandkids, they’re not going to listen to me.  And I can’t fight them about it, I’m too dammed old.”

“I don’t think you can do anything.”  Jessie replied.

* * *

 

Arturo and Kim were never home.  Anthony and Maria were either out with friends or having raucous parties in the basement.  Angie ranted and raved but since an adult was technically home the judge would not grant her custody.  And Brenda could only do so much to insist.  But as the parties got noisier and busier Grandpa Sam started meeting her at the door and sitting in the kitchen with her while she worked.  “Just in case.”  He said.

But that had its own drawbacks.  One day Jessie came home to find her Grandfather yelling at two boys who were running down the stairs, laughing.  “Pop, what happened?”  She asked.

“They came up here to cause trouble.”  Grandpa Sam said.  “Rob the place.  I don’t know...”  He was clutching the counter, bent over.  “I’m...I’m having trouble breathing.  My chest...”

Oh goddamn it.  “I’m going to call 911.”  Jessie went for the phone.

“No!  No, It’s...”

“Better to be safe than sorry.”

* * *

**Trails Community Center**

**Las Vegas, NV**

**May 1995**

Jessie was about to let the next dart fly when she felt a familiar presence settle beside her.  “Patton?”  Spencer asked.

“Back in World War II they diagnosed some soldiers with what they called Shell Shock.”  Jessie said as she let the dart fly and got the General on the chin.  “Now we know that as PTSD.  But he insisted that no American soldier would ever be afraid in battle, men with shell shock were just malingering.  So he denied them treatment.  Fifty years without treatment.”

“Grandpa Sam’s getting worse?”

“Helped along by Anthony and Maria turning the Habitrail into their personal party pad.”  She let the next dart fly and caught the General between the eyes.  “He’s scared all the time now, he’s been having nightmares and he keeps having these panic attacks, only you never know if it’s really a heart attack...”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.  They’re changing his medication, getting him into a support group over at the VA, but at his age...”  She sighed and hit the General in the nose.

“There’s only so much they can do.”

“Yeah.  Wait.”  She turned to Spencer with a confused look on her face.  “Why are you here?  Shouldn’t you be getting ready for finals or something?”

“Aunt Ethel decided she needed to take a horse buying trip.  A six week horse buying trip driving around the country.  She told me a week ago and is leaving this Friday.”  He sighed.  “I think she’s just tired of taking care of Mom and wants a break.”

“Because you can just drop your first year of college to come home and look after you mother.”  Seriously?  “Like you had a break in the six years you looked after her.  She hasn’t even made it twelve months.  You know, I get your mom, but it seems like everyone else in our parent’s generation....”

“Yeah, I know.  But it’s not all of them, my advisor set me up to take my finals early.  I finished the semester yesterday.”  He looked into his coffee cup.  “Granted Charlie’s 21 and his mom has cancer...”

“See.”  Jessie studied the dart board.  “Want to change the picture?  I bet I can beat you.”

Spencer reached into his pack and pulled out a copy of a copy of his dad’s picture.  “Sure.”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 06**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**November 1995**

“Maria is pregnant.”  Brenda said at one of their meetings.  “At least five weeks.”

“God damn it.”  Kim sighed.

“I knew this would happen.”  Angie shook her head.

Maria was beaming.  “I’m going to be a mommy!”  She said.

Jessie blinked.  Maria was sixteen, a high school junior, if barely.  This was kind of a nightmare.  How could she be happy?  If she was Maria she’d be panicking right now.

“Five weeks.”  Kim said.  “Ample time for an abortion.”

“I agree.”  Angie said.

“No!”  Arturo replied.  “That is my blood!”

“Okay, adoption?”  Kim said.

“My blood stays in my family!”

“She can’t even keep a bird healthy.”  Angie said.  “How do you expect her to raise a baby?”

“My aunt will help....”

“Oh hell no!  Our custody arrangement clearly states that Peggy is not allowed to live under the same roof as my children!  I will not have that crazy bitch around them without supervision!”

“We can hire a nanny.”  Kim said.

“She can live in Jessie’s room!”  Maria announced.

Wait a minute.  “Why my room?”  Jessie asked.

“You can go sleep in your grandpa’s room.”  Maria replied.  “Hell, you two are so close you’re probably already fucking him.”

“How dare you!”  Grandpa Sam warned her.  “Back in my day a girl who got pregnant at your age knew enough to be ashamed of herself and not go casting aspersion on others.”

“I’m not ashamed of my body, you old fuck!”

“Enough!”  Brenda said.  She looked sternly at Arturo and Kim.  “If you choose to let Maria parent at home this must not affect the other residents of the house in any way.  Don’t expect Jessie or Sam to look after the baby.”

“All right.”  Kim muttered.

“I mean that!  No cleaning up after it, no doing it’s laundry...”

“All right.”  Kim said a little louder.

“And no babysitting!  At all, ever!  If you leave that baby with either of them they will call CPS and have the child taken away from you.  Clear?”

“No!!!”  Maria said.

“All right!”  Kim said, loud and childish.  “Damn it!”

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Jessie:  How long do you think that will last?  I can’t just leave a baby to suffer, it was hard enough not cleaning up after the dog._

_Spencer:  Do what Brenda said, call CPS.  Remember what the counselors said, you have enough on your plate already; you don’t need to add more._

* * *

 

“MY BABY!!!!!”

Anthony and Maria were supposed to spend every other week-end with their mother, not that they ever actually went.  And every other Sunday Arturo’s Aunt Peggy came for her supervised visit.  To no one’s surprise the first visit after she learned of Maria’s pregnancy hit like a bomb.

Peggy was actually Arturo’s aunt, his mother’s sister.  She was well into her sixties, widowed young, with no family of her own.  She’d taken her nephew’s family to her ample bosom once he brought her over from Italy, and set about raising them in the same unhealthy dynamic her family had followed for generations.   The eldest boy and the eldest girl, in this case the only boy and only girl, were the royal heirs to the castle, and were to be treated as such in her eyes.  Every one else was beneath contempt.

Peggy barreled through the door, dropping at least ten shopping bags along the way, as she went to swoop Maria up into her arms and coo and cry.  Anthony and Maria actually cleaned up for their Aunt’s visit, as much as they could.  Tony somehow found a clean shirt with a collar, and Maria a skirt that went past mid-thigh.  “My baby is going to have a baby!  Oh I am so proud of you my darling girl!  Ohhhh!”

Proud?  Jessie and Grandpa Sam looked at each other in bafflement.  They were at the big dining table watching this performance because Aunt Peggy Sundays were the one day when Arturo insisted everyone have dinner together.

“Proud of what?”  Kim asked.  She was already on her third glass of wine for the day.  “She’s knocked up.  Big deal.”

“She did not succumb to the sin of keeping life from the world!”  Peggy snapped.  “I would not expect a puttana like you to understand.  Ohhh!”  She cried, cradling Maria’s face in her hands.  “My beautiful baby is going to be a beautiful mama.”

“Hey Aunt Peggy.”  Anthony said.

“And this one!”  Peggy turned and pulled Anthony to her.  “Look at you!  Such a strong, beautiful man you become!  Oh, I am so happy!!”

“Christ.”  Grandpa Sam murmured.

“And my nephew!”  Now it was Arturo’s turn.  Thankfully they switched to Italian so no one had to actually hear the simpering talk between them.  Until Peggy heard something she did not like.  “What?  What do you mean you have hired a maid?  What does this one do?”  She waved at Jessie.

“Sit on her ass and reads books all day.”  Anthony said.

“That’s called homework.”  Jesse replied.  “You should try it sometime.” 

“Does she?”  Peggy recoiled, offended.

 “My _granddaughter_ takes care of me.”  Grandpa Sam said pointedly.  “She works plenty hard enough.”

“This I believe when I see.”  Peggy pulled a voluminous apron from her bag.  “Now, I cook for my family.  You come help me.”

“I thought that was Maria’s job.”  Jessie said.

“She cannot work, she has a baby.  Get up off your lazy culo and work, worthless girl!”

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Jessie:  I swear to god everything hurts._

_Spencer:  Why?_

_Jessie:  I had to get up at six so I could get all the cooking done for me and Grandpa before Mom got up so she wouldn’t bitch about the mess in the main kitchen.  Then I spent four hours at a dead run helping Aunt Peggy prepare her feast.  And then I spent nearly two hours washing and cleaning the mess.  None of which would be bad if Arturo would let us wear shoes in the house._

_Spencer:  You have a concrete floor_

_Jessie:  He thinks feet need to air out._

_Spencer:  Twelve hours of restaurant work barefoot on a concrete floor.  No wonder you hurt.  Go take a hot bath, it might help._

_Jessie:  Can’t.  I have to be up in five hours and they used all the hot water._

* * *

 

Now that Maria was pregnant Aunt Peggy seemed to come around all the time.  She brought her niece gift after gift after gift, cooing and fussing over her while Maria partied with the boys, ate junk, and blew up like a balloon.  Week after week, while she did nothing to take care of herself or prepare for her child to come into the world.

In the meantime Jessie stuck to her schedule and to the plan.  She never went out, or took a day off, or indulged.  After all, everyone swore the reward in the end would be worth it.

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Jessie:  Is it worth it?_

_Spencer:  Is what worth it?_

_Jessie:  College.  Is it worth all this work?_

_Spencer:  I think it is.  No one here ever asks my age, they figure that if I’m here I’m old enough to handle it.  It’s kind of nice to not be treated like a kid while handling the responsibility of an adult anymore.  It’s nice to have that_

_Spencer:  Respect_

* * *

 

**Trails Community Center  
Las Vegas, NV**

**December 1995**

“Merry Christmas!”  Spencer said, lifting a glass of cheap egg nog in her direction. 

It was the annual ACCY holiday party.  One of the few parts of the holiday Jessie looked forward to every year.  “Hey you.”  She said, coming over for a hug.  “You’re taller.”

“That keeps happening.  So you said before we signed off this morning that Maria was screaming?”

Ooo, look, cookies.  What the hell, it was a holiday.  “You know. it’s ridiculous how they’re coddling her.  She has yet to clear a drug test, she’s still smoking and drinking even pregnant, and now she has her own car.”

“A car?”

“Yep.  They delivered it this morning, three days early.  Because according to Aunt Peggy she’ll need it for the baby.”

“She’s likely going to be too dangerous to drive with the baby.”

“ It’s not for the baby!  It’s a Porsche Boxter!  It’s a fifty thousand dollar convertible!”

Spencer blinked at her a long moment.  “Can she drive a stick?”

“I doubt it. I suggested she might want something like a minivan and she howled that I was being mean to her and all three of them chewed me out.  Apparently I am a horrible, selfish human being because I think a pregnant woman should have a vehicle that takes a car seat.  Or one where the pregnant mother can fit behind the wheel.  It was rubbing on her stomach when she tried it.”

“Where was your mother in all of this?  I thought a pregnant teen ager was her worst nightmare.”

“She’s taken up drinking as a hobby.  She was already too blitzed to care.”

“Great.”

“I know.  She gets a car, I’m lucky if they even notice my report card.  I’m getting a 4.0 with all AP classes and looking after Grandpa and no one cares.  You’re trying to take care of your mom long distance while finishing college at all of fourteen and all your Aunt and Uncle said was...”

“She makes them really tired so she can’t live with them.”  It was his turn to sigh.  “I know.  We’re the ones keeping the people we love, they love, from being on the street or in a warehouse somewhere, while trying to keep going like normal, or somewhat normal, kids.  And we’re doing it.  It would just be nice to be appreciated now and then.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder.  “I appreciate you.  I think you’re pretty awesome.”

He hugged her back.  “You’re awesome too.”

“Nah.  I’m just an ordinary girl.”  Her attention was caught by movement in the room.  “Come on, there’s cake.”

* * *

 

Somewhere the world had to make sense.  Didn’t it?  Was she just doing everything wrong?  Working her life away for no good reason?

Jessie couldn’t sleep that night.  So she got up and booted her browser.  She started looking up combinations of appreciation and women and discipline, words like that. 

A link on her fifth search caught her eye.

She clicked it.

After a few minutes she clicked on another.

Then another.

“Whoa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part one
> 
> Please note a time shift between chapters 6, 7 and 8


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 – Discovery
> 
> A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.
> 
> Albert Szent-Gyorgyi  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .

**Chapter 07**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**August 1996**

The woman stood on the balcony and looked over the crowd on the floor.

As usual the base was thumping away, providing a solid foundation for the dancers in the main part of the club.  But it wasn’t the dancers or the dance floor that the woman looked over.  She was looking at the other part of the club, the more private part, where people engaged in more...creative activities.

She was looking at one girl specifically.

The girl she was studying was younger, although by exactly how much was still in question.  She was dressed neatly and precisely, black riding boots that gleamed with polish, black jodhpurs that molded themselves to her sleek, tight ass, a black oxford shirt open just enough to give a hint of creamy curves, and black leather gloves.  Her dark hair was bundled into a thick knot on the back of her head, held with a gleaming clip of hematite and silver, without even a few curls loose around her face to soften the effect.  Although it was hard to tell from this distance it looked like not a trace of makeup marred her creamy skin, or called any more attention to those large, dark eyes.

It was her poise that caught the woman’s attention.

She had one of a trio of young boys bound to the St. Andrew’s Cross in front of her.  He was naked, his wrists bound high above him, his legs bound well apart, leaving him open and helpless and vulnerable.  His eyes were blindfolded.  His two companions sat on the floor, well out of the way, and watched avidly.

The bound boy’s shoulders, ass and thighs were already bright red from the attention she had been giving them.

Now she stepped closer, confidence radiating from every line, fisted her hand in the boy’s hair, and whispered into his ear.  Whatever she said caused him to shake harder, to make a high pitched keening sound.  But if he had said a safeword one of the DM’s on the floor would have heard it and stepped in if needed.

The girl stepped away, turned to the bag of equipment she had brought with her, and selected her weapon of choice.  The crowd murmured when they saw what she pulled from her bag.

The woman on the balcony leaned in for a better view.  The single tail was a dangerous tool to use.  In uncontrolled hands it could do real damage, opening welts, removing skin, even breaking bones.  After all, the distinctive crack of a whip was the sound of the tip breaking the sound barrier.  The one the girl handled was of a familiar design, well suited for the intended purpose.  But could she use it?

Having already warmed him up with a flogger and paddle and crop, she laid the first strike across the tight curves of his ass with admirable precision.  No dainty flick designed to give the impression of being whipped while only causing minor pain.  No, she striped him.  The boy howled and jerked and shook at the burning pain.

The woman on the balcony quirked a smile.

The girl worked the boy over well, laying in neat lines that would likely last four to five days, raised welts that would remind him of this night every time they brushed against the rough material of his jeans, but never once breaking his delicate skin.  By the time she placed the last two in the tender groove where ass met thigh he was crying. 

 The girl’s movements were confident, elegant, assured.  She’d caught the eye of every man and most of the women in the place, every one of them wondering what it would feel like to be on the cross before her.  Now she stepped up behind the crying boy, fisting his hair again and speaking into his ear as with the other hand she pressed the coiled whip to the front of his body. 

Specifically to his cock.

“No.”  He sobbed out.

No was never a safeword in a place like this.  Too many people wanted the freedom to beg for mercy on their way to the cathartic release they craved.  So no one batted an eye as the boy pleaded.

The girl stepped back, coiled herself, and let the whip fly once more.

This time it coiled over his hip, and the end cracked off the front of his body.  He screamed.  “No!  Please!”

Normally letting the tip wrap like that was bad form, the sign of an inexperienced top who shouldn’t have a whip in their hands.  But after seeing how the girl had handled herself on this visit, and on previous ones, the woman on the balcony did not signal for her to be stopped.

Once again the girl let the whip fly.  This time it coiled over his other hip.  Once more he screamed and tried to twist away, tried desperately to protect his cock from the bite of the whip.  “No!  No please!”

Once more the whip flew, this time taking a deeper bite from the front of his body.  His scream was louder, wilder.  “Yes!  Yes!  Yes!”

That must have been the signal.  The girl instantly coiled the whip.  She stepped up behind him once more, elegant as a gazelle, her hand in his hair, her lips at the delicate curve of his ear.  This time her gloved hand glided over the curves of his ass before pressing in between his legs.

Once more the boy howled.  But this time it wasn’t pain.  This time it was the most powerful form of pleasure.

The people watching applauded.

She kept tight to him as he shook through the orgasm.  But as soon as he slumped she stepped away, nodding for his companions to come to him.  They crowded up to him, letting him down, bundling him into a blanket and into their arms as he shook and sobbed and started brokenly at the world. As they turned him the woman on the balcony saw the three triangular red marks of the tip of the whip, each laid along the inside of his hip, far enough away to be safe, close enough to make him believe she really would catch his cock with the next blow.  He would wear those small marks for days on end, likely as a badge of pride for surviving such an ordeal.  For now he curled in his companion’s arms, whimpering and yet falling into a relaxed state of afterglow likely deeper than he had ever known.

Now the woman’s eyes went back to the girl.  She had not lost her poise, was standing at the table that held her gear, smiling gently and nodding at the compliments coming her way, using sterilizing wipes to preliminarily clean her gear before she bundled it back into her bag.  That was good, she not only attended to detail in her presentation she was attending to the details of safety as well.  This was something the woman admired.  As she watched one of the boy’s companions came up to the girl and pressed an envelope in to her hands.  The girl smiled and nodded her thanks as they exchanged a few words, then the envelope was tucked into the bag with her gear.

The woman on the balcony made up her mind.  She turned slightly and a young man stepped into view, ready to answer her every command.  She spoke to him briefly.  As he left she gave the girl one more glance before she turned and walked to her parlor.

A few moments later the young man tapped on her door.  “Come.”  The woman said.

He opened the door and showed the girl in.  Her cheeks were rosy with her work, but otherwise she appeared as calm and poised as she had down on the dungeon floor.  “You wanted to see me?”  She asked in a quiet, calm voice.

“Yes.”  The woman from the balcony said with a smile.  “What’s your name?”

“Jessica.  And you are?”

“Lady Heather.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note a time shift between chapters 6, 7 and 8


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 08**

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**April 1996**

Jessie came home at precisely 3:45.

By giving up her extended lunch break with Tam and Lanny she was able to move her library time there, freeing up her after lunch period for her electives, the only place for them since the hour before classes was now spent in the gym, honing her body to elegant perfection.  That meant that now she got out at three every day.  On Wednesdays she still went to group, but every other day she came home.

This hour was her time.

She parked her bike in Grandpa Sam’s storage space now.  It was crowded, with both of their boxes, the bike and the freezer, but with some ruthless cleaning out she’d made it work.  It left her storage space completely empty.

She needed the space.  And the privacy.

In the small room, under the harsh light of the bare bulb she quickly changed out of her bike shoes.  Boots to protect her legs, gloves to protect her hands, a mask to protect her face.  Then she tuned to face the board.

Fifty inflated balloons in a rainbow of colors were stapled to a sheet of plywood.

She’d found a die meant as a replacement part for a child’s board game.  Each side held a dot of a different color.  It came up blue.  The blue balloons were her target.

She picked up her chosen weapon, found in a pawn shop downtown, addressed the board, and let it fly.

The first blue balloon broke with a loud snap.  But the ones around it didn’t even move.

Precision.  Control.  The result of the discipline of practice every day.  Just as she practiced the rest of her life every day.  Just as it should be.  This shouldn’t be any different from turning in a paper that exactly met the parameters of the assignment, or keeping Grandpa Sam’s cholesterol at a healthy level by calculating his macros to the gram, or ironing the creases in her school uniform shirts exactly right.  This is how things should be done, with precision and discipline.  This is how a life should be led.  This was what Grandma Elsie taught her.

But this was _different_.

She moved.

Another blue balloon popped.

And another.

Jessie smiled as her body began to warm.

* * *

_Chat Log:_

_Spencer:  You realize this is crazy, right._

_Jessie:  Maybe._

_Spencer:  Why are you doing this?_

_Jessie:  Because I’m tired of being treated like crap because I always do the right thing.  I don’t go out, I don’t sleep in, I don’t get a day off, I just do everything exactly the way it’s supposed to be done all the time and at best they don’t care.  Most of the time they give me crap about it, tease me about being Miss Perfect or tell me I’m lazy because I do homework every night.  Anthony and Maria are destroying their lives and destroying the lives of the people around them and they keep getting all the help and all the reward and being told what amazing children they are.  I’ve had enough!_

_Spencer:  And this is supposed to fix that how?_

_Jessie:  In that community being disciplined and striving for perfection actually earns you respect.  Maybe even admiration.  I want to be a part of a community like that._

_Spencer:  College is a community like that.  At least at CalTech is a community like that._

_Jessie:  I’m not a genius, Spencer.  I’m just an ordinary girl.  College is too far away._

_Jessie:  I just don’t think I can wait another two years to find a place where I belong._

* * *

 

Jessie had been careful.  She knew the internet was a dangerous place.  You could never be certain who was really on the other side of the screen.  But she was curious about this world, these people.  She wanted to learn as much as she could.  So she finagled her way onto a number of kinky connection sites, just to watch the activity.  She didn’t intend to ever post anything.

Until one want ad came up.

Three boys, all gay, all poly, looking for a Mistress to help them play out their fantasies.  They claimed to be eighteen, were looking for someone 18-25, here in Vegas.  They were not looking for actual sexual activity.

She sent them a note.

They sent one back.

There was some chatting back and forth.  What they wanted sounded simple enough, they all had a fantasy of being tortured by some strong, cruel woman, only to be rescued at the last minute by their loves, and they wanted to play it out.  Now torturing young men wasn’t a fantasy she found sexually stimulating, but she was curious about the community, and it might be a good way to get some experience.

For safety sake she set up a meeting at a local diner, told them what to wear so she would recognize them.  Then she deliberately didn’t go up to them, she’d chosen a place and time where she could be with Grandpa Sam.  Instead she watched them come in and sit down and watched how they interacted with each other.

* * *

 

_Chat Log:_

_Troy97:  You weren’t there_

_JG1171:  Yes I was.  I was watching you.  As a single woman I’m the vulnerable one here, I wanted to make sure you were telling the truth about yourselves before I risked it._

_Troy97:  Okay, I can get that.  So now you think we’re telling the truth?_

_JG1171:  Yes.  I know you’re all 17 or 18, I know you’re all gay, I know you’re all into each other._

_Troy97:  This is true._

_JG1171:  I also know you’re all seniors at The Meadows School, Troy Gilmers, Chad Johnson and Bobby Lowis, and I doubt you’re out to your parents, teacher, or your friends on the soccer team._

_Troy97:  How the fuck do you know that? How the fuck do you know who we are?_

_JG1171:  Doesn’t matter._

_Troy97:  What do you want?_

_JG1171:  The same thing you do, to help you play out your fantasy.  But remember, I’m the vulnerable one.  So if you hurt me or out me in any way I’ll send these logs to your parents, Principle Harris and Coach Stevens.  After we meet you’ll be able to do the same to me.  Fair enough?_

_Troy97:  Fair enough.  So when do you want to meet?_

_JG1171:  Tomorrow is a half day.  Meet me behind the greenhouse after school.  We’ll go somewhere private to talk._

_Troy97:  Wait, you’re at Meadows too?  Who are you?_

_JG1171:  Tomorrow after school.  Now here’s what we’ll need_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 09**

**The Meadows School  
Las Vegas, NY**

**May 1996**

Which was how Jessie found herself heading behind the greenhouse the next day after school.  “Maybe it’s Melissa.”  Chad was saying as she walked up.

“No way.”  Troy replied.  “She’d freak.”

“Maybe it’s Jenny.”  Bobby said.

“She’s going steady with Mark.”

“Maybe Lindsey.”  Chad suggested.

“Lindsey has a car, why would she want me to bring a bike rack.”

“Maybe Kara.”

“It’s not Kara.”  Jessie said.  They all spun about to look at her.  Jessie knew she was at a disadvantage, schoolgirl uniforms were commonly the dress of submissive females, not Dominant ones.  But she straightened her back and looked them in the eye, daring them to think of her as anything but. 

And they didn’t.  “You’re...you’re...”

“Jessie.  I’m a Sophomore.”  At least for another two days.

“Yeah, that’s right.  You’re...you...”

“If I’m not home by five in perfect condition my Grandfather will call the cops.  They’ll find those chat logs.”

“Yeah, no, we’re not...none of us are in to girls.”  Troy chuckled a little.  “Is it obvious?”

“You three are always together and never go out with anyone.  That’s a good way to start rumors.”

“Dating a girl from here would be like...putting the moves on your sister.”  Chad said.

Jessie gave him her best, cool smile.  “And guys like you protect their sisters, don’t they?”

The three of them looked at each other.  “Yeah.”  Bobby said. “It’s cool.”

“Cool.  So, where are we going?”

Troy shrugged.  “Um, my place.”

* * *

 

**2297 Waterfield Ct  
Las Vegas, NV**

“So, where are your parents?”  Jessie asked.

“Work.”  Troy replied.  “They’re orthodontists.”

“Fun.”  Jessie replied.  The house wasn’t as big as the Habitrail, but it was big enough to have a basement playroom.  Big screen, pool table, lots of couches.  And over against the wall a sheet of plywood covered with balloons.  “Got a place where I can change?”

“What, you’re not going to do the kinky schoolgirl thing on us?”  Chad asked.  She gave him a look.  “Kidding!  I’m kidding!”

“There’s a bathroom in there.”  Troy pointed down the hall.  “You hungry?”

  1.   Jessie sure as hell did not want to end up like Maria.  “Not really.  Ice water would be good though, or ice tea if you have it.”



“I think we do.”  Troy headed to a fridge in the corner.

Jessie reached into her bag and pulled out three questionnaires.  “I need you guys to fill these out for me.”  She said.

Chad and Bobby had been grinning with anticipation.  Paperwork was clearly not what they were expecting.  “What’s this for?”  Chad asked.

Jessie sighed.  “Okay, look, have any of you done this before?  I mean with another person?”  She stood there, demanding, until they sheepishly looked away and shook their heads.  “Yeah, neither have I.  So we all need to get over ourselves and do this step-by-step the right way, okay?  That way we’re less likely to hurt each other.”

They looked at each other and shrugged.  “That’s cool.”  Bobby said.

“Good.  Now from everything I’ve read I’m the one responsible for everyone’s safety.  So I want you to fill these out so I know what I’m getting into.  I don’t want to land one of you into the hospital or a psych ward and have to explain to all of our parents.”

“I can get with that.”  Troy said, and accepted the paperwork.

While they did that Jessie found the bathroom, locked herself in, and took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.  Then she changed.  She came out in snug navy leggings, the better to fit into the knee high riding boots that protected her legs from any errant licks, a snug tank top that wouldn’t get tangled and gloves to protect her hands.  With her hair up in it’s usual thick knot she looked a lot older than she had when she went in the bathroom.  “What?”  She asked when they stared at her.

“Um, are you sure you go to Meadows?”  Chad asked.

“I thought you weren’t in to girls.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t know what daymn looks like.”

Well, that was flattering.  She threw her shoulders back and stood a little straighter.  “So, what exactly are you three looking for, now that we’re all here?”

“Simple.”  Troy replied.  “One of us is captured, being interrogated by the enemy.  You beat the crap out of us until we’re ready to talk, then the other two ride in and save him.  And then we, um...”

“Provide aid and comfort.”  Right, she wasn’t interested in what they were going to do after.  But she could understand the fantasy.  “But nothing specific with the torture.”

“Well, the usual limits, blood, body fluid, whatever.  Granted if one of us shoots it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“Yeah, not getting my hands down there, thanks.”  She wasn’t here to get her own sexuality on.  “Okay, we’ll start with the basics and play it by ear.  But we are going to use safewords.  Like I said, I’m new to this.  I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I’ll take a few bruises for the team.”  Chad said.

“Me too.”  Bobby replied.

“Yeah, but no more than that.”  Jessie said.

“That’s cool.  So, what are you getting out of this?”  Chad asked.  “Does this kind of thing turn you on?”

“Dude, if it did she’d go for a straight guy.”  Troy replied.  “Assuming you are straight, not that it’s our business.

“No, I am.”  Jessie had thought a lot about that question lately.  “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.  Right now I’m looking for practice mostly.”

“Yeah, but aren’t we supposed to....”  Chad started.  “...ummm...”

It took a minute for them to realize what he was trying not to say.  “Dude, that’s rude!”  Bobby hissed.

It took another minute for Jessie to figure it out.  “Pay me?”  They were right, that could be rude.  But at the same time...  “It’s not like it’s prostitution.  We’re not having sex.”

“No, but you are taking on a lot of responsibility and risk here.”  Troy replied.  “You should get something for it.”

There went that warm feeling again.  “Yeah, but money still seems wrong.  But...”  She turned and pointedly looked in the direction of the driveway.  “I did just turn sixteen.”

“No way.”  Troy said.  “I’m going to need that money when I get to college.”

“I’ll pay for a third of it.”  Chad said quickly

“Me too.”  Bobby replied.

“Fuck.”  Troy shook his head.  “Okay, so what can you do anyway?”

Jessie pulled up her bag and started pulling out her tools.  You could, after all, buy anything in Vegas.  “Floggers are thumpy and good to start with, they’re supposed to warm you up, make you more sensitive with little risk of injury.  Crops are good for sharp, quick pain while paddles are good for making big, sore spots.  But if we’re talking an interrogation...”  She pulled out a soft bag and revealed her treasure.

A whip.

The air seemed to thicken in the room.  The boys shifted like they were suddenly not as comfortable.  “No way.”  Troy said quietly.

Jessie felt the energy in the air, the way they were looking at her.  It was a weight and a power, and it felt good.  She pivoted and stepped in front of the wall of balloons.  “Pick a color.”  She said quietly.

“Red.”  Troy replied.

She held the whip gently, comfortably, and let the tip fly. 

A red balloon in the center, and only the red balloon, popped.

A moment later, another.

Then another.

She deliberately, confidently popped every red balloon, taking her time and enjoying the feeling of their eyes on her.  When the last one was gone she pivoted and waited.

“Yeah, but could you do that to a person?”  Troy asked.  He deliberately stood and turned his back to her.

Could she?

Could she?

She looked over his form, the tight muscle concealed under a t-shirt and jeans.  He was strong, varsity soccer, at the prime of his condition.  But still so vulnerable right now. 

Could she?

She let the tip fly.

A neat, sharp crease crossed the backside of his jeans.

“Shit!”  He gasped and pulled away at the sudden sharp pain.

She strode up behind him, took a big handful of his hair, and pulled him back to her.  “That’s _not_ what I want to hear.”  She said in a strong, commanding voice, before she pushed him away.

“Dude.”  Chad said.  She looked over at them, saw respect in their eyes.  Admiration.  Even awe.

When Troy turned to her the tenting in those jeans was obvious.  “Nine secessions.”  He said.  “Three for each of us, once a week for the summer.  Then you’ll get the Jeep right before I move.”

Jessie smiled.  “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should really cast this but at the moment I'm flying out the door. Check back this evening for casting notes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**2297 Waterfield Ct  
Las Vegas, NV**

**June 1996**

Jessie hadn’t signed up for her usual raft of summer classes.  With Maria in her third trimester none of the adults in the Habitrail cared to ask what she was doing for the summer, and she honestly had other things on her mind.  So sign up time came and went before she realized.  “I’m thinking of doing some tutoring work over the summer anyway.”  She told Grandpa Sam one night.  “A friend from school is selling his car pretty cheap before he moves away.”

“I can help with buying a car.”  Grandpa Sam said.

“I want to do this on my own.”  She replied.

“Oh.  That’s good though.  But let me help with insurance, so you can run me around when I need it.”

She hadn’t thought of insurance.  “Okay.”  She would be taking him out fairly often.  It made sense.

Of course she wasn’t tutoring.

The first week after school let out she rode over to Troy’s house.  Sure enough, they had the basement good to go.  It only took her a few minutes to change from something suitable for tutoring to something more...appropriate.  “Are you ready?”  She asked Troy.

He gave her a nervous smirk.  “Yeah.”

“What’s your safeword?”

“Ginger.”

“All right.”  She reached down and tightened the cuffs around his wrists, and then slowly stepped around behind him and pulled the blindfold down over his eyes.  She stepped back and let the anticipation build for a long moment.  “Take him.”  She snapped.  “String him up.”

She stepped back as Chad and Bobby landed on him.  They wrestled him to the ground and started pulling at his clothes, tearing off the undershirt he was wearing and somehow tugging him out of his jeans while he struggled.  But they were grinning, they had played this far before and enjoyed it.  It didn’t take long for them to wrestle him over to a hook on the wall, one anchored sturdily enough to handle his weight.  By the time they got him there he was rock hard from anticipation.

It was the first time Jessie had ever seen a boy naked.

He was magnificent, all hard muscle rippling under satin soft skin.  For a long moment she really wished Troy was straight.  But that was part of what he wanted, that feeling of someone wanting him that he did not want.  She stepped up behind him, fisted his hair, and pressed herself against his back as she indulged in running a hand over his hip.  He was so solid and warm it made her shiver inside.  Deep breath.  “Now you are going to tell me what I want to know.”  She hissed in his ear.

“Go to hell, bitch.”  He replied.

The insults were all part of the game.  She laughed and stepped back, forcing herself back to control as she picked up her flogger.

His first groan was sweet.

* * *

 

When it was all over she packed her bag, changed and let herself out while the orgy commenced behind her. 

She’d left Troy a quivering wreck.  By the time she was done with him he was literally crying, pleading with her to stop, completely lost in the fantasy.  But she didn’t stop because he safeworded, he didn’t.  He’d signaled that he was willing to talk, that he’d had enough but all of it was wanted.  “You’re going to tell me what I want to know.”  She said, tugging his head back down to her by the hair.  “Or I will turn you around and you know what will happen.”  She ran a finger down just the edge of his groin.”

He whimpered.  “No!  No please!  I’ll tell you!  I’ll tell you!  I’ll tell you!”

She looked over and nodded to Chad.  He and Bobby were about ready to jump out of their skins.  “Troy!”  He called out as they rushed over to ‘save’ their friend.  She stepped back out of the way and let the comforting begin with the ‘rescue’.

It worked for them.

She let herself out and started riding away, but she only got as far as the park at the end of the drive before she had to stop and get off her bike and lay in the shade because she was _shaking_.

She’d _enjoyed_ that.

She hadn’t expected she would.  She’d thought it was just a job, a means to an end, an entry into a world where she might find other people like her.  But she’d enjoyed it, she liked looking at him and touching him and the way he reacted to each blow.  She’d enjoyed trying different things just to see how he would jump or cry or how his skin would turn that red just like that.   Most of all she enjoyed just being with him, there, in that moment, sharing the most intense experience she’d ever had.

And she’d loved being the one in charge of it all.  She knew they were safe, she knew what she was doing, being in control was _amazing_.

“What kind of sick freak am I?”  She muttered.

Her thoughts kept turning back to Troy.  Was he okay?  Had she hurt him?  Was he completely shattered?  Was he?

Fuck it.  She got up, got back on her bike, and rode back to his house.

Thankfully the orgy, or at least the first round, was over.  Chad let her in with a big smile.  “I just needed to know Troy’s okay.”  She said as she went down the stair.

“Okay?”  He was sitting on the couch, shirtless, his jeans loose around his hips.  He’d been crying, sure.  But his face had a healthy glow and a happy, almost giddy smile.  “I’ve never felt this good in my life!  That was amazing, thank you!”  He held his arms open for her.

 Well, all right then.  “Thank you.”  She pulled him into a big hug, or let him hug her, or both or everything.  She could tell he was so  _happy_ .

This was good.

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Spencer:  So, how was it?_

_Jessie:  Amazing.  Confusing.  Complicated._

_Spencer:  Going to do it again?  For more than just the car?_

_Jessie:  Honestly?_

_Spencer:  Yeah_

_Jessie:  Yeah.  Yeah, it felt really good._

_Spencer:  Do you mean_

_Jessie:  Not like that.  I don’t think so.  It’s complicated._

_Spencer:  There are actually few studies done on paraphillias in women, but what data they have show that in women paraphilias are optional, meaning an alternative or additive route to sexual pleasure vs. being a preferred or even exclusive route in men._

_Jessie:  Meaning?_

_Spencer:  Um, in women it’s more sauce than main course._

_Jessie:  I can see that._

_Spencer:  Of course the same studies insist that all or nearly all female paraphiliacs are submissive masochists._

_Jessie:  Yeah, no.  Not a chance in hell._

_Spencer:  Figured that._

_Spencer:  The bigger question is, can you picture yourself in a sexual relationship without having to be the dominant partner now?_

_Spencer:  Which might speak to trust issues if you can’t._

_Jessie:  I don't know.  Maybe._

_Spencer:  Okay, picture all the guys you know.  How many can you picture yourself being in a non-dominant relationship with?_

_Jessie:  That’s easy_

_Jessie:  One_

* * *

 

Later that night Jessie sat straight up in bed.  “Spencer?”

He’d been right there.  He’d been lying in her bed, somehow wearing Troy’s body, warm and solid and strong and he’d rolled over onto her and his lips were soft and his body hard and there had been this pressure and....

He’d been right _there_.

They were going to....

“Fuck!”  She growled, as she threw herself back into bed.

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Jessie:  So if I was going to apply to colleges in LA which ones should I try for?_

_Jessie:  CalTech?_

_Spencer:  Not unless you really want to go into a STEM field_

_Spencer:  I’ll send you a list._

_Spencer:  As a PhD candidate I would be happy to write you a stack of recommendation letters_

_Spencer:  Also, when you get here I’d love to show you around_

_Jessie:  I’d like that_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Starbucks at Trails Village Center  
Las Vegas, NV**

**July 1996**

By the time she’d worked them all over once Jessie had started thinking of them as her boys.  Hers.  Hers in some impossible to define way, except that they were somehow.  It wasn’t romance, at least she didn’t think it was, and it wasn’t lust, their desire for each other was obvious, but she was impossibly fond of them.  She kind of wanted to hug them all, all the time.  When she wasn’t turning their asses bright red and striped, which still brought it’s own, complicated, pleasure.

Troy then Chad then Bobby then Chad then Bobby again.  And why not Troy was because he said he was working on a surprise for her, which she was not sure about at all.  But they said to meet them here, the surprise was ready, so here she was.

“Ah!  You made it!”  They came up behind her, Troy’s arms were warm and strong as he pulled her into a big hug.  “So what was going on that had you so distracted this morning.”

 “My step brother crashed his car in a DUI last night, which set my very pregnant step-sister into false labor.  It was chaos this morning.”

“Why was she at your place?  What do you want to drink?  Here.”  Troy handed Chad some cash.  “Mocha frap.”

“Iced tea.”  Jessie said to Chad.  “No sugar.”

“Seriously?” 

“It’s a discipline thing.”

“All right.”  He muttered as he and Bobby went to fetch drinks.”

“Maria’s at my place because she’s seventeen.”  Jessie gave a pained smile as Troy whistled and sat back.  “She more or less just finished her junior year at Cimarron.”

“Ew...wait, Maria Greco?  From Cimarron?  You...live together?  With her brother?  They kinda have a reputation....”

“We do not share genetics.  Mom married her father a few years ago.”

“I’ve heard of their parties.  That must drive you insane.”

“I live in hell.”  Jessie nodded.  “Well, two floors above hell.  So what is this surprise?”

“I don’t know.  I didn’t know you lived with...”

“Don’t let that....we avoid each other as much as possible.  They’ve taken over the basement, I stay upstairs, we manage.”

“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way.”  He dipped into his pocket and handed her a slender bit of plastic.

It was not what Jessie expected.  “Fake ID?”  Likely good fake ID too.  The only thing off was her birth date, it had her at eighteen.

“Yeah.  We found this amazing place called The Dominion.  It’s this huge mansion compound someone turned into a fetish club.  You can rent rooms and equipment to do scenes and things.”

“But you have to be over eighteen.”  Jessie didn’t know.  Next year was the big push for college acceptance.  If she got caught, arrested....  “I don’t know.”

“Just come have a look with us!”  Troy was desperately excited.  “You have to see this place, it’s amazing!”

“I don’t know.”  Jessie had never deliberately broken the law, not even with a fake ID.  “Let me think about it.”

* * *

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

“I saw you with your boyfriends today.”  Maria sing songed as she waddled into the Kid’s Kitchen.  “How much did it cost you?”

“Excuse me?”  Jessie greatly missed Maria’s first trimester.  Back then they ate a lot of tuna fish sandwiches.  Just the can opener coming out was enough to send her step-sister away, gagging.

“To have them pretend to be your friends?  Did they charge in cash or did they make you blow them?  I bet they made you swallow.  Most you’ve had to eat in a year I’m sure.”  Maria giggled.  Jessie didn’t react with anything more than a sigh.  Why add fuel to the fire?  But then more fuel came in in the form of Anthony.  “Hey, did you hear?”  Maria said to him.  “Little Miss Perfect finally started whoring around like her mom today.  I caught her with three boys.  I wonder how much she’d charge you for a blow job.  Do you give a family rate?”  She asked Jessie.

“No thanks.”  Anthony was eighteen now.  He’d barely slid through high school, now he was working for his father.  From what Jessie could tell this meant wearing expensive clothing badly and banging showgirls at parties downtown.  Now he was fetching a beer since his father never bothered to enforce a drinking age.  “I prefer my whores with tits.”  He said.

“Where’s your Mom.  Kim!”  Maria waddled out into the main room.  “Kim!  I don’t want your little whore at my baby shower!  I’ll be embarrassed!”

“Why?  Because she charges more than you do?”  Kim replied in a drunken slur.

“I hate you!”  Maria snapped back.

“Feeling’s mutual kid.”

I don’t want her at my shower!”

“Whatever.  Hey!  Martha Stewart!”  Jessie assumed that meant her mother wanted her attention, so she stuck her head around the corner.  “Your sister doesn’t want you at her baby shower.  Spend the day in your room.”  She took a drink of her wine.  “And never charge less than fifty for a blow job, I don’t care if they are family.”

“Actually I’m spending Saturday night at a friend’s house.”  Jessie replied.

“That’s a minimum of a hundred.”    

Jessie decided to reply in a language they would understand.  “Whatever.”  She headed back to the kitchen only to find Anthony waiting.  He amused himself by simulating exotic oral sex acts with his beer bottle to try to get her to react.  She ignored him, finished her chores, packed her baskets and headed up stairs.

Where she excused herself for a moment to go make a phone call.  “So what’s the game plan for Saturday?” She asked Troy.

“My folks are out of town.”  He said.  “Meet over here, we’ll get changed, head out, afterwards you clean up, I’ll drive you home.  Simple.”

“Are you three all staying in your room?”

“We usually do.”

“Good.  I’m in your guest room for the night.”

There was a pause.  “So you want to go?”

“Yeah.”  Jessie said.  “I want to go.”

* * *

 

**2297 Waterfield Ct  
Las Vegas, NV**

What do you wear to a fetish club when you’re not a submissive female anyway?

Saturday morning Jessie got out of the house as soon as she could, dropped her gear at Troy’s and headed for the mall.  A trip to a real bra fitting store was a revelation, she had more than enough to fill out something more than a sports bra.  A black button-up, worn with one button too many open, tight black leggings and her usual riding boots would do for the evening.  She’d never been good with make-up, but some mascara and red lip stain were easy enough.  Add in her usual thick updo and she ought to be good to go.

At least her boys thought so.  “Hello Mistress Jessica.”  Bobby said when she came out.

“Remember that.”  She said, but her smile was warm as she tucked her arm under Troy’s.  “Shall we?”

“We shall.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**July 1996**

They timed their entry just right, pushing in with a large crowd of people, signing the waivers at the door quickly and shoving their ID’s at the bouncer fast enough that he never got that good a look at them.  “That was easier than I expected.”  Jessica said once they had been herded through the door.

“Yeah.”  Troy replied.  “Now as long as we stay out of the rooms where they serve alcohol we’re golden.”

The club was enormous.  It sprawled over multiple connected buildings, with lots of smaller rooms around larger ones.  The main floor was a dance club, of course, and the DJ had it going.  But that wasn’t what the boys had in mind.  She let them lead her off to a larger side room, quieter but the music was still clear.  One side was lined with typical bar seating, a banquette along the wall and small tables.  The other...  “St. Andrew’s Crosses?”  She’d seen pictures on the internet, but had never seen one in person.

“Yeah.”  Troy jerked his thumb at Chad who held up her gear bag.  “I, um, took the liberty of reserving one for later.”

“I don’t know.”  Being here was one thing.  Performing....

“You don’t have to.”  He insisted.  “We can always play in the morning.  Just watch for a while and if you want to...”

“I’ll think about it.”

“In the meantime would you like something to drink?  Not alcohol.”  He quickly reassured her. 

“Sure.”  She settled at one of the small tables while he went off to get the drinks.  After a quick look around at how everyone else was acting Chad and Bobby calmly sat on the floor at her feet. 

After a few minutes she was delighted when Troy returned with an honest-to-god tea tray in his hands.  “You do like tea, right?”  He asked.

“Yes.  Thank you.”  He poured and then settled next to her.  And with a china cup cradled in her long fingers she settled back to watch the room.

At first she was nervous.  Everyone in this room was older than she was, and they all had more experience and they all seemed to know exactly what they were doing and it was all so new and bright and fascinating.  But as the night wore on she began to relax and to focus.  She saw the types of people who were here, and the way they were acting, the differences between men and women, and straight men and gay men, and straight and what might be gay women.  She saw the differences in dress, and in action and in reaction.  And she watched the way people acted on the cross, the way floggers were used, and crops and paddles, and how people reacted and the marks left behind on their bare bodies.  And she saw more skin than she ever had in her life.

Three hours, two pots of tea and a very informative trip to the ladies room later a polite young man dressed in black with the red armband of a Dungeon Monitor approached Troy.  Troy turned to Jessie.  “Well?”

She made up her mind.  “Yes.”  She said, standing to join him.

“I’ll need you both to sign a release stating you know and understand our safety guidelines.”  The DM said, handing them each a clipboard.  “And I’ll need your safeword.”

“Ginger.”  Troy said, after they both read and signed.

“All right.”  The DM said.  “Have fun.”  With that they were left on their own.

“We’re going to start a little differently.”  Jessie said.  “Strip and I’ll strap you to the cross.  The scene won’t start until I get your blindfold on.”

“That works.”  Troy said.  He seemed a little nervous, but game as he started piling his clothing next to the others.

“I was thinking of trying something else too.”  She said.  “But maybe not here...”

“What?”  He asked

She told him. 

He agreed to it, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Jessie turned to her bag and started pulling out her gear, setting it up on a table provided.  She took a few deep breaths to try to calm her nerves, and pulled on her gloves to help with sweaty hands.  Flogger first, she thought, I know I won’t screw that up.  When she turned back Troy was naked in this room full of strangers, already facing the cross.  “You know you have nothing to be ashamed of, right?”  She said as she stretched against his back to fasten the cuffs.

“Good to know.”

Wrists and ankles and make sure he was supported and comfortable before they began.  Only once she was sure did she put the blindfold over his eyes and then tighten her fist in his hair once more.  “You will talk.”  She hissed.  “You will tell me what I want to know.” 

“Go to hell, bitch.”

She growled and pivoted and moved to the safe distance.  With the first drop of the flogger she blocked the room out entirely.  It was just the two of them and she was as terrible and strong as she had ever been or ever could be.

Which was why she didn’t see the attention she gained as she plied the flogger with deliberate force, not the gentle brushing most of the others used.  Why she didn’t see the growing crowd as she switched the paddle to make him groan as bruises sprung up on red flesh, and then the crop to make him jump and dance as it bit into those bruises.  She didn’t see their smiles when she fisted his hair once more.  “Do I need to keep going?”  She asked whenever she switched tools.  It was a chance for him to end it without safewording, without breaking the fantasy.

But Troy was as lost as she was.  “Is that all you got?”  He asked with shaky bravado. 

She chuckled in reply.  Fool.

She was so lost in her own head, a place where it was only the two of them that she didn’t hear the murmur go through the crowd as she turned and pulled out her single tail.  She saw him wince as she deliberately cracked it, just once.

He cried out as the first striped crossed his ass.

He shrieked as the one on the other side matched perfectly.

Stripe by stripe she laid the welts across his ass cheeks, each perfectly spaced, five on a side from top to bottom.  The last two left him crying, begging.  “Please!  Please!”

She got her fist in his hair again.  “Will you tell me?  Or do I have to...?”  She rubbed the rough side of her whip against his rock hard cock.  In that moment she would.  She could.  She knew it.  She could make him scream if she wanted to.  The power of it was a hum in her veins.

“Nonono, I’ll talk!  I’ll talk!”

“Will you?”  There was supposed to be this place, this spot on a man’s body.  She reached her gloved fingers between his legs, that place between his scrotum and anus, and found this lump.  “Will you?”  She asked as she ran her fingers over it, hard.

In reply he groaned, a different sound than she had ever heard anyone make before, and arched against her, his whole body shaking in the bonds.  She could see his cock flush and this crystal drop appear on the end.  “Oh god!  Please!  Please!”

That was a different sort of begging.  She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew.  And it was good, so very good.  So she pressed harder, holding him to her by the hair.

He screamed hard and shook harder and after a moment all this stuff came out of him like a fountain.

 _Oh_.

She stepped back roughly, nodded to the two others to go get him down and give him the comfort and care he needed as she stepped back to the table.  She needed to get her own nerves under control.  Damn it, she was shaking....

The applause shocked her right out of her headspace.

She jumped a little, looked around.  The entire room, maybe a goodly part of the club, had gathered around to watch.  Now they were applauding her performance, what she had done.  She heard the murmurs. “Amazing.”  “Well done.”  “Beautiful, Mistress.  Just beautiful”

She turned to look at them all, and especially at the goofy grin on Troy’s face.

Yes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**August 1996**

That night had led directly to this one.  Three more times they had come back to the club, first Chad then Bobby and then finally tonight was the last time with Troy.  The most amazing summer ever was drawing to a close.  But now there was this.  “Lady Heather?”  Jessie asked.

The redhead in the bottle green dress nodded.  “This is my House.”  She said it just like that too.  She was the owner.  Damn it!  Well, it had been an amazing summer, now it was time to pay the toll.  “How old was that boy out there?”

“Eighteen.”  That was easy, Troy was legal.

“And the others?”

“Eighteen.”

“And you?  Nineteen...eighteen...younger?”  Lady Heather gave her a small smile and shook her head.  “I’m not going to call the cops on a fake ID on one truly dominant.”

“Truly dominant?”

“You’re very skilled for your age.  That speaks to a great deal of study of the material out there.  There are no hard and fast definitions in the lifestyle, to each their own, but tell me, to your mind, what is the difference between a bottom and a submissive, when it comes to power exchange?”

Jessie thought a moment.  “A bottom wants to give up their power and put another in control during a scene, during play.  A submissive is uncomfortable with control over some or all aspects of their life outside of the sexual arena, and wants to give up control of those areas to a greater or lesser extent.”

“And the reverse?  A Top versus a Dominant?”

“A Top enjoys taking control during play.  A Dominant is comfortable with control in all areas of life, and comfortable extending that control to others.”

“And your friends down there?”  Lady Heather asked.

Jessie had already considered this at length.  “Troy’s a bottom.”  She said.  “Chad and Bobby are submissive, at least a little, but they submit to Troy, not to me.”

“And you?  You’re not a Top, are you?  You need to be in control all the time, if only of yourself.  Not even your parents control you.  They think they do, but you’re taking their word on advisement.  What I don’t understand is why you’re here.”

Huh?  “You have the cleanest, safest play space in town.”

“No.  Not that.  And not whatever was in the envelope they gave you.  No, you drew something from that scene downstairs.  I pride myself on knowing the desires of everyone who comes through my door.  But I don’t know what you desire.”

Jessie smile.  “Perhaps I desire being an enigma.”

Lady Heather chuckled.  “No.  And it’s not freedom, you have that internally if not externally yet.  And it’s not respect, your self-respect is too high.  Now I will be curious.”  She pulled a business card from her desk.  “That’s my private line. I rarely give those out.  When you turn eighteen if you’re interested I’ve been considering an assistant.”

Jessie accepted the card and blinked at it.  It was lovely, just like she was.  “You would take an eighteen year old with no work history as an assistant?”

“I can teach management skills.  True dominance comes from the soul.  It shouldn’t be wasted.  That card is also good for a favor or two, should you need help out of a jam but think carefully before you use it.  And don’t come back here before you turn eighteen.”

 Jessie curled the card into her hand.  “I won’t.  Thank you Lady Heather.”

“Thank you Jessica.”

She followed the DM out of the office and out to the motor court where Troy and the others were waiting.  They let out a collective breath of relief when she appeared.  “Holy hell!”  He said.  “We thought you were busted!”

“We were.”  She said.  “The owner’s not calling the cops though.  Can’t come back until I’m eighteen.”

“See.”  Bobby said.  “Good thing we weren’t drinking.”

There were nods all around, and then they went home for the night.

* * *

 

The next day Jessie and Grandpa Sam met Troy and his dad at the mechanics.  The two adults hemmed and hawed and made stabs at negotiating until the mechanic pronounced the Jeep in good shape.  Then Jessie handed the envelope of money the boys had given her the night before over to Troy.

When all the paperwork was sorted she drove Grandpa Sam...

 **West Mead Storage & RV**  
**W. Mead Blvd**  
 **Las Vegas, NV**

...to a storage facility about twelve minutes ride from her house.  “Why?”  Grandpa Sam asked.

 “Because if I park it at home it’ll be ruined.   The top will be knifed, someone will spray paint ‘whore’ and ‘cunt’ on it as a ‘joke’, Anthony or Mom will ‘borrow’ it when they’re drunk and crash it, Maria will use it for the baby and leave dirty diapers in it to rot or Arturo or Peggy will decide I don’t deserve it or I misbehaved somehow and it’ll  disappear or they’ll tell me to move it off his property and then have it towed for on the street parking.  Regardless I’ll be such a bitch if I even notice anything happening to it at all.  I didn’t buy it just to give them a toy to destroy.  If I leave it here it’s safe and it’ll take me ten minutes to ride over, get it and pick you up at the main gate.  And I can still ride to school, it’s good exercise.”

“But what’s the point of having it if you don’t use it?”

“Week-ends.  I can get away from them for a while.  Do they even know I’m getting a car?”

“I didn’t tell them.”

“Good.  Let’s not.”

Grandpa Sam nodded.  “How much is this costing you?”

“A hundred a month.”  The one thing Arturo was generous with was their allowance.  Not that she ever spent any, somehow his money always felt like it had strings attached.   But it was coming in handy now.

“I’ll cover it.”

“Grandpa!”  He was already covering half her insurance and some of her gas.

“Stop.  You shouldn’t have to pay for your mother’s stupidity.  Besides, this is smart thinking.  Your grandmother always thought smart too, you take after her.”

Jessie grinned.  Truly dominant or not a good Dominatrix had to think of everything.  “I wish you would tell me what the big secret is about her.”

“When you’re older.  Now let’s go.  We’ll get a cab and I’ll buy you some dinner.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**The Meadows School  
Las Vegas, NV**

**September 1996**

First day back and the post-summer rumors were already flying.  “So, is it true?”  Monica Parkhurst asked.

Lanny and Tam looked up at her and her cohort of friends.  “Is what true?”

“Did Jessie sleep with Troy Gilman over the summer?  I heard she was caught sucking his cock.”

Tam and Lanny looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  “Who did you hear that from?”  Lanny asked.

“Well...”

“Some kid from Cimarron?”

“Yeah...”

“Where her total bitch of a stepsister just got put in the ‘special’ class for teen mothers.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.  They can’t even figure out who to give the paternity test to because she was too drunk to identify all the guys she was fucking when she got knocked up.”

Monica’s eyes went wide.  “Oh my god!”

“She didn’t take care of herself while she was pregnant either.”  Tam said.  “That baby is not right.”

“Oh my god, that is so sad!”

“Yeah it is.”  Lanny said.

“And Jessie has to live in that zoo, so, you know, don’t pile on.”  Tam said.

“What’s up?”  Monica’s boyfriend sauntered up to join her.

“Some bitch from Cimarron is trying to start a rumor that Jessie slept with Troy Gilman over the summer.”  Monica replied.

“No way.”  The boyfriend replied.  “Troy’s gay.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.  I heard he came out for college.”

“See.”  Lanny said,

“Oh my god!”  Monica said.  “Some people!  Tell her we’re sorry we said anything.”

“We will.”  Tam and Lanny watch the knot of them walk away, then watched Jessie come over and join them.  “So, did you sleep with Troy Gilman over the summer?”  Lanny asked.

“If I had I would have told you.”  Jessie replied.  “That was Maria’s last gasp at being a bitch before she landed in the hospital.  But...”

“But....”  Tam said as they leaned in closer.

“Okay, only Grandpa Sam knows about this, and you guys cannot say anything because this is too handy and if something happens it will suck.  Losers only.”

“Always.”  Lanny said.

“Of course.”  Tam agreed.

Jessie held up her keys.  “I did buy his Jeep.”

The other two girls grinned.  “Total score!”  Lanny exclaimed.

“Grandpa Sam gets first call because he’s helping with insurance, but then anything I can do to help you guys out...”

Tam threw her arms around her friend.  “Oh god, thank you so much!”

“Anytime.  Losers have to stick together.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  Okay, I hate to ask._

_Jessie:  What?_

_Spencer:  I know it’s a lot._

_Jessie:  What is it?_

_Spencer:  And we’re not supposed to put extra work on each other_

_Jessie:  Spencer!  Spit it out already._

_Spencer:  Mom chased another delivery service away and Aunt Ethel isn’t being as reliable as I really need.  Can you bring Mom her meds until I find another service?  It’s only once a month.  I’ll send you money for gas, I’ll help with the insurance..._

_Jessie:  No you won’t.  But if I ever make it to LA you can give me the grand tour._

_Spencer:  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  I’ll do anything!_

* * *

 

**1935 Park Shadows Lane  
Las Vegas, NV**

After school a few days later Jessie went and picked up her Jeep, drove to a pharmacy on the other side of Sierra (already awesome, she’d never been able to get safely across the parkway on her own before), picked up a bag of medications, and drove back to a house just down the block from where they lived before they moved to the habitrail.  She rang the bell and waited.

She rang again and waited.

Someone peeked out the window and she smiled and waved.

Eventually the door opened.  A tall, slender woman with short blond hair and a worried expression stuck her head out.  “I don’t want to buy anything.”

“Oh, I’m not here selling.  I’m Spencer's friend, Jess.  Jessica Hartwick.  We used to live down the block.  He asked me to pick up your medication for you."

“Jess.  Spencer’s friend.  Of course.  How's your grandfather?”  Professor Reid eyed her uniform.  “Are you in high school?”

“He's doing really well, Ma'am.  I’m a junior over at The Meadows.”

“A junior.  That means you’re....”

“Sixteen, ma’am.”

“You look older.”

“It’s the way I wear my hair.” 

“I can see that.  Well come in, come in.  I want to make sure it’s all there.  Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Um, sure.”

* * *

 

_Chat log:_

_Jessie:  Okay, your Mom is still really sweet._

_Spencer:  What did she do?_

_Jessie:  She made us tea and asked about school, what I was thinking of doing for college, that sort of thing.  At least until the last bit when she thought I was there for her 3pm lecture on Piers Ploughman._

_Spencer:  She does that these days.  She didn’t get upset when you left?_

_Jessie:  No.  I apologized and said I left my notebook in the car.  She just told me to hurry and off I went._

_Spencer:  She is much better with women.  Thank you so much for doing that._

_Jessie:  Not a problem at all._

* * *

 

**The Meadows School  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October  1996**

“Hey.”  Monica Parkhurst said as she approached the group at the lunch table.

“Hey.”  Lanny said pleasantly enough as Jessie and Tam looked up and smiled.  Like any high school theirs had it’s cliques, but unlike many there wasn’t a lot of friction between them.  People hung out with their crowds, sure, but were reasonably polite and friendly with everyone else.

“You should know.”  Monica said to Jessie.  “The rumors are getting worse.  People are saying you fucked Chad Johnson and Bobby Lowis and some kid from the Cimarron basketball team as well as Troy Gilmers.”

“Oh for fuck.”  Jessie rolled her eyes.  “I did not fuck them!  Any of them!  Troy sold some of his stuff off before he moved, I found the ad and I bought some of it.  My skanky bitch of a stepsister spotted us talking about it at Starbucks and made the rest up.”

“Figured it was something like that.  Just thought you should know that the rumors are flying.  Fair warning and all.”

“Thanks.”  Jessie gave Monica a rueful smile as her group moved off.

“Cimarron basketball team?”  Lanny asked.

“Spencer.  He did some coaching for them.”

“There is no good way to stop a rumor like that.”  Tam said.

“I know.”

“So I have an idea, given that we are now putting the college application process on top of school and caregiving.”  Lanny said.  “Jess, you turn eighteen on graduation day, May 30th 1998, right?”

“That’s my day.”  That date glowed in her mind like a beacon.

“That night we rent a hotel room on the Strip...”

“Lanny!”  Tam said.

“Not for a party!  At least not that kind of party, we’ll order in room service, watch some movies and sleep in the next day.  By then we’ll have earned a night off.”

“I can see that.”  Tam said.

“I’m in.”  Jessie replied.  A night off pajama party already sounded tempting.  “But I want to invite Spencer.”

Tam and Lanny looked at each other.  “Rumors aren’t rumors if they’re true.”  Tam sing-songed. 

“They aren’t.”

“Yet.”  Lanny said.

Jessie blushed but didn’t say anything.  No, she was not making plans.  But she wouldn’t complain if... “So, invite him or not?  He needs a night off too.”

“Sure.”  Lanny said.  “We’ll get connecting rooms.”

“Perfect!”

* * *

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

A few weeks after that Jessie came home to the Habitrail on a Friday with her arms full of bags.  It was quieter than it ever had been.  Anthony had his own apartment, really a condo his father had set up for him, downtown which had become his party place.  Maria’s delivery had resulted in a c-section that had not gone well.  It ended up infected and in the process of treating it they found her to be Diabetic.  Even now, a good six weeks after delivery she was still spending most of her time in bed, being cared for by a live-in nurse.

Her son, Joey, was not okay.

It was hard to say exactly what was wrong with him.  It wasn’t so much one thing as a lot of small things that added up to a lot.  He was huge at birth, ten pounds and twenty-two inches, as big as a three month old, and he just kept getting bigger.  They suspected mild fetal alcohol syndrome, some respiratory issues, he had trouble sleeping and startled easily, the list went on and on.  His Grandfather doted on him, his great-aunt adored him, and he had a full time nanny who gave him excellent care.  Poor kid did not luck out with his mother but he might still make it.

With Anthony’s departure and Maria’s convalescence the downstairs had been turned into her realm.  She moved down there entirely, and her and Tony’s rooms were turned into relief rooms for the service who provided all the staff that now moved around the house.   Of course they still weren’t allowed to help her or Grandpa Sam out, but they kept the house clean and quiet, and were friendly and polite enough.  Brenda still visited, but her visits mostly involved Maria and Joey now, as Jessie was mostly being left alone.

All in all it was an improvement.  Even if someone did still fiddle with her door at least a couple of nights a week.

She came in the same way she always did, after spending her hour with her whip in the storage locker.  As always she stopped to prepare food for the next 24 hours, pack up dinner, and take it upstairs.  She and Grandpa Sam just ate upstairs all the time now, Mom and Arturo were never home and when Aunt Peggy came over she was downstairs with the baby.

It was after dinner that it was different.

She finished up, went to her room for homework, and locked the door.  Then she upended her bags on her bed.  Notepaper, file folders, pens, tags...

...and at least a dozen college catalogs. 

She smiled.  “Let the applications begin.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Chat logs:_

_Jessie:  So that’s the last one_

_Jessie:  I was accepted everywhere but CalTech.  How did you manage to get in there?_

_Jessie:  Wait, look who I’m talking to_

_Spencer:  Yeah.  They recruited me_

_Spencer:  So what are your top choices?_

_Jessie:  Stanford, Berkley and UCLA.  Choosing one is not going to be easy._

_Spencer:  I vote UCLA, only because we could hang out on week-ends._

_Jessie:  I was actually taking that into account._

_Spencer:  And they have a kink group_

_Spencer:  I asked around_

_Jessie:  Really?_

_Jessie:  You looked into it?_

_Spencer:  I‘m kind of curious about this thing you’re into._

_Spencer:  I want to learn more about it._

_Spencer:  I don’t know if I’ll ever participate though._

_Jessie:  That’s okay._

_Jessie:  That’s, like, the opposite end of my life somehow._

_Jessie:  I don’t know how to explain it_

_Jessie:  But even that you’re just curious is kind of amazing.  Thank you._

_Spencer:  You’re welcome_

_Spencer:  But your first criteria ought to be which school will give you the most free money to go._

* * *

 

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**April 1998**

Jessie couldn’t recall ever coming over to this side of the habitrail.  Her and Grandpa Sam lived above the Kid’s Kitchen and mudroom.  This side was set up for Mom and Arturo, their grand suite, her exercise room, and his office.  She tapped on his office door.  “Come.”  He said.  She opened the door and stepped in.  “Close the door behind you.”

It was a large space, sleek and dark and modern, as he liked most things.  She closed the door and approached his desk, her uniform skirt swinging against her knees.  Earlier she’d gone to his assistant and asked for a copy of her mom’s tax forms to send in with her Federal student aid package.  After consulting with him the assistant had set up this appointment on his behest.  “You wanted to see me, Sir?”

He was sitting behind his desk, an office chair like a throne.  She stood in front of his desk, a supplicant.  “Yes.  Donna said that you wanted a copy of my tax paperwork.”

“Yes, for my student aid package.  I actually only need Mom’s but if you file together...”

“Take your clothes off.”

Wah huh?  “Excuse me?”

“Take your clothes off.”

What?  He could not be serious.  “No!”

Arturo chuckled.  “I am not a fool.  I know what you do with boys all over the neighborhood.”

“Those rumors are lies!  I never...”

He held up a finger to stop her.  “I do not believe you.  And now you wish to leave my house and continue your puttana ways on my money.”

“I am not!  And my grandmother left me....”

“Your mother gave it to me to invest long ago.”  Oh shit.  “Now if you wish to continue your ways this is acceptable, but I want my share.  So, remove your clothes.”

“No!” 

He chuckled again, “Why not?”

Jessie knew better than to point out that he was married to her mother.  As a serial cheater he wouldn’t care.  “You’re old enough to be my father!”

“But I am not your father.”

“I’m still a minor!”

“You are old enough.  The cops won’t care.  And if they do the Sheriff is a friend.  Now, take your clothes off.”

Well that was just not going to happen.  “No!”  She turned to storm out of there.

“You turn eighteen soon, yes?”  His words stopped her with her hand on the knob.  “I promised your mother I would keep you and your grandfather until then.  If you are not going to be part of my family then I want you out of my house on your birthday.”

Jessie straightened her spine and shut the door behind her.  She hit the main hall at a dead run, and ran all the way to her room and locked the door.

Then she ran to the bathroom and locked the door.

She was _shaking_.

What was she going to do?

What was she going to do?

She couldn’t tell anyone.  Grandpa Sam would try to fight him and would lose, Arturo was strong.  Spencer and Troy would do the same.  And Tam and Lanny would force her to go to the cops...

What was she going to do?

* * *

 

In the end she told them all that Arturo wouldn’t give her the forms, wouldn’t give up her college fund, and wanted her to get out, because she refused to care for Joey.  This didn’t surprise anyone.  “That means out-of-state colleges are out.”  Lanny said with a sigh.  “You can’t afford ‘em.  You did apply to UNLV, right?”

“Of course.”  Everyone did, it was the universal safety school.

“So go talk to the Financial Aid people there, see if you can get an override on the paperwork.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Jessie:  The only way to not have to turn over my parent’s tax forms is to join the military.  Not really a good option for me._

_Spencer:  Would marriage help?_

_Jessie:  Sadly no, although I did ask.  And you are too young.  But it’s sweet of you to offer._

* * *

 

_Jessie:  The only way to not have to turn over my parent’s tax forms is to join the military.  Not really a good option for me._

_Troy:  Would marriage help?_

_Jessie:  Sadly no, although I did ask.  And I doubt that boyfriend of yours would approve.  But it’s sweet of you to offer._

* * *

 

“I tried talking to your mother.”  Grandpa Sam said.  “It’s like talking to a brick wall.”

“I know.”  Mom was no help even when she was sober.

“I started looking at apartments today.  Something we can afford with my pension.  I won’t be able to do tuition too.”

Jessie hugged her grandpa.  “I’ll just have to get a job is all.”

* * *

 

Three weeks into her job hunt, without any sort of a call back, and the truth was known.  “Look, kid.”  One kindly shop owner said. “The word is out on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one is going to hire Arturo Greico’s kid.  No one legit anyway.  I’d like to keep my legs the way they are.”

 Jessie sagged internally.  “I understand.  Thanks for telling me.”

He nodded.  “Good luck.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  So what are you going to do?_

* * *

 

Jessie reached into the back cover of her organizer and pulled out a business card.  It was worn soft from being looked at so many times.

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Jessie:  There is one option_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**May 1998**

There was one person who would understand the truth.  “It’s not the first time I’ve heard this story.”  Lady Heather said.

“Oh?”  Jessie was desperate.  She hadn’t even changed out of her uniform before coming over here.  This felt like her last hope.

“In my experience most men who marry women with daughters anywhere close to puberty are looking for a package deal.  Once mom is too old daughter is old enough.  I have...three artists on staff who could tell the same story.  Granted none with stepfathers as powerful as Arturo Greco.”

“Are you afraid of him?”  It seemed like everyone in Vegas was.

But not the woman sitting across from her.  Lady Heather quirked a smile.  “No.”  She said as she put down her tea.  “There are more powerful men in this town.  And the more powerful they are the more they want to be humiliated.  It’s an interesting effect of power.  So, why are you here?”

Jessie took a deep breath.  “I need a job.”  She admitted.  “Everyone else is too afraid of him to hire me.  I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?”  Jessie nodded.  Lady Heather pursed her lips.  “My mother had a saying.  You can give a man your love, you can give him your time, you can even give him your money if you want, but never, ever, give away your power.  You’re giving Arturo your power now.  Do you really want to?”

Her power.  The shock of the encounter had pushed her away from that well inside her.  But that gentle reminder showed Jessie where to find it again.  She looked at Lady Heather a long moment, took a deep breath, felt her spine straighten and her shoulders square.  “I need a job.”  She repeated.  “But I’m not a prostitute or a submissive.”

“Better.”  Lady Heather said with a smile.  “And good, because I am full up on subs at the moment and prostitution is illegal in Clark County.  Like I said, what I need is an assistant.”

“An assistant?”

Lady Heather nodded.  “The problem I have is that those powerful men don’t want the outside world to know about their desires.  They’re ashamed of them so they scuttle around in the dark.  Most of our work takes place at night.  But this is a business, a nightclub, with the needs of a business.  Food deliveries, bank deposits, and other forms of commerce take place during normal business hours.”

“Which means you have to be up 24/7.”  Jessie could see the problem here.  “Or you’re catching sleep in snatches where you can and nothing is working well.”

“Exactly.  I need a day shift manager.  Now you are graduating from the Meadows?  With some class rank?”

Jessie nodded.  “Salutatorian.”  Second in her class.  She never could quite press it to first.

“You were accepted to a number of major universities?  All the while caring for your elderly grandfather and living in Greco’s home?”  Jessie nodded.  “This tells me you have a natural gift for organization and time management and ample internal discipline and determination.  And I saw your gift for Domination, you’ll need that to deal with some of our higher strung artists and clients.”  Lady Heather put down her tea cup.  “So here’s the deal.  Most employers forgive a portion of tuition reimbursement for every year you work after you graduate.  I will cover four years tuition at UNLV, and after that will forgive a quarter of that debt for every year you work for me.  In eight years you’ll have a degree and be debt free.  Leave before then and we’ll set up a payment plan.  Good so far?”

Jessie nodded.  So far it was the best solution she’d heard to her problem.  “Do I need to study anything in particular?”

“No, but I highly recommend the Hospitality Management program.  It’s world class, you’ll be able to get a job anywhere with it.  And, honestly, it would be the most help to me.  I will require a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.”

Jessie had been considering psychology, but Lady Heather had a point.  She could always go back for a psychology degree once she had a solid career under her.  “What would you have me do?”

“Manage the day shift.  Mostly I need a bookkeeper.  I also need someone to oversee the kitchen management, the bar and club management, someone to manage club membership and since a number of artists live on site an apartment manager.  And I am looking at e-commerce options as well.  It’s all paperwork and business.  And that’s in addition to going to school full time.”

Whoa that was a lot.  But, “I think I can do that.”  She’d just have to ramp up her organizational skills to the next level, whatever that looked like.

Lady Heather smiled.  “What you do with your body is your own business.  I won’t require you to sleep with anyone, and if anyone tries to press the point let me know.  I also won’t require you to work as an artist, to Dominate anyone you don’t choose, but should you choose you’re welcome on my floor.  I will require that you take classes in the art of BDSM from my experts, safe bondage, impact play, and so on.”

Now that would just be fun.  “I don’t have a problem with that.”  Jessie smiled.  That was one hell of a job perk.

“The position comes with room and board here, clothing through my tailor for work, medical and dental, and since I believe you’ll be running errands for me I’ll cover your auto insurance, maintenance and a fuel subsidy as well.  You’ll receive a stipend to cover personal needs, once you complete school the money for tuition will be folded in to make your salary.  You’ll have reasonable sick leave, two weeks a year and every Sunday off.”

“That’s...remarkably generous of you.”  Jessie didn’t have to think too hard about this one.  “I have to see what my Grandfather’s going to do, but other than that...I accept.”

Lady Heather broke into a big smile.  “Excellent.  One more thing though.  When it comes to leaving Arturo Greico do what I tell you.”

* * *

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

The only problem with this plan was that there was no good, reliable way of hiding where she was going to be living.  Jessie had to tell the people she loved the truth.  Starting with Grandpa Sam.  “So that’s it.”  She said.  “I haven’t found another good way of getting out of this.”  She sighed.  “Are you ashamed of me?”

Grandpa Sam put his arm around her shoulder, squeezed her in tight, and chuckled.  “Heavens no.”  He said.  “This Lady Heather sounds like a good woman.  You should do all right.”

Huh?  “You’re not upset?”

“Not at all.”  He took a deep breath.  “I suppose if you’re old enough to make this decision you’re old enough to know about your grandmother.  You know about the history of Clark County, did you ever hear of Lady Elsie’s Ranch?”

“Yeah, everyone has.  It was the last legal brothel in Clark County....”  Wait a minute...  “Grandma was a dominatrix?”  That explained so much.

Grandpa Sam chuckled and nodded.  “That’s what she said.  I wouldn’t know, we met outside of her work, I never got involved.  She had the biggest, classiest brothel in the whole United States at the time.  She could have moved it all out to Pahrump like the Chicken Ranch did but your mom was six at the time and starting school and she decided to close it up instead.  She gave a lot of girls the same deal over the years, usually to get them through nursing school back then.”  He gave her another hug.  “You have a good head on your shoulders, darling.  I think you’ll do just fine.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Troy:  That’s awesome!_

* * *

 

“You’re crazy.”  Lanny said.  Tam nodded in agreement.

“It’s better than staying in the habitrail.”

“This is true.  What’s your Grandpa going to do?”

“Assisted living.  His pension will cover a really good one and I’ll still be able to visit.  He can even take Bear and Gigi with him.”

“That works.”

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  It’s not fair_

_Jessie:  Life isn’t fair._

_Jessie:  I’m doing what I have to do_

_Spencer:  But you shouldn’t have to_

* * *

 

**Clark County Sheriff’s Department  
Las Vegas, NV**

Once again Jessie had to call upon Lady Heather for a favor.  “What happened?!”  She nearly screeched when she saw the two figures coming out of the police station.

“I spoke to a friend.”  Lady Heather said.  “He got a stern warning, but they’re not pressing charges.”

“I’ve also been banned from gaming floors in Las Vegas, Laughlin and Pahrump.”  Spencer said.  “I wonder if that’s a lifetime ban.”

“Assume that.”  Lady Heather replied.

“You were gambling with a fake ID?”  Jessie still couldn’t believe it.  “Spencer, you’re sixteen!”

“Worse.”  Lady Heather said.  “He was counting cards.  He was a quarter million in when they stopped him.”

“I couldn’t help it.”  Spencer replied.  “There are only so many cards in a deck.  The math is just not that hard.”

“Why?”  Jessie asked.

“Tuition money.”  Spencer replied.

“You’re getting your PhD this summer Spencer.  Next year they’re going to be paying you to be there.”

“It wasn’t for me.”

“You seem to have acquired a Knight in Shining Armor.”  Lady Heather said.

Jessie looked at Spencer for a long moment.  He was so tall now, kind of shaggy around the edges with his cuffs too short and his collar worn and his hair too long.  But his eyes were so soft and so hopeful and so full of love.  “You did that for me?”

“I thought...well...and that wasn’t fair.  I mean, that wasn’t right at all.  You’re my best friend.   I...I guess I wanted to save you.”

Knight in Shining Armor indeed.  She looked up at him for a long moment, then stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.  It wasn’t much of a kiss but it sent a tingle through her.  When she pulled back he looked shocked.  “No?”  She asked

He looked into her eyes and blinked away the shock.  “Y...yes.  If you mean it.”

“I totally mean it.”  She looped her arms around his shoulders his arms went around her, his lips met hers and it was just perfect.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  So, are we a thing now?_

_Jessie:  You mean since you got yourself arrested defending my honor or since our first kiss._

_Spencer:  Both_

_Jessie:  I don’t know, do you want to be a thing?_

_Jessie:  Wait.  Hold that thought for a moment._

_Spencer:  Okay_

_Jessie:  Are you okay with us being a thing and me still exploring the whole BDSM thing without you?_

_Jessie:  I figured out why this appeals so much._

_Jessie:  When I top someone it lets lets me stretch to see just how strong I can be_

_Jessie:  When I’m with you I don’t have to be strong at all, because I trust you as an equal._

_Spencer:  So I can’t be your equal and your sub?_

_Jessie:  I don’t know.  Maybe._

_Jessie:  Are you a sub?  Do you want to try to bottom?_

_Spencer:  I don’t know.  I haven’t found any literature on this.  Everything I’ve read about male submission involves humiliation of one kind or another. That doesn't have any appeal for me._

_Jessie:  Yeah, I would never go there with you._

_Spencer:  I know.  Thank you._

_Spencer:  While I figure it out I’m okay with you exploring whatever you want to._

_Jessie:  While we figure it out._

_Jessie:  We have time to figure it out.  Lady Heather won’t let you in the club until you’re eighteen_

_Spencer:  Good point.  So do we or do we not want to be a thing._

_Jessie:  We have to type this at the same time.  That way we know that the other is not just saying it because the other said it.  Does that make sense?_

_Spencer:  Yeah.  Let’s do it._

_Jessie:  I want to be a thing_

_Spencer:  I want to be a thing_

_Spencer:  We do mean like a boyfriend-girlfriend thing, right?_

_Jessie:  Yeah_

* * *

 

 

**#1171 Pine Island. Ct.  
Las Vegas, NV**

**May 31, 1998**

Graduation day at last.  Also her birthday.  But neither was why Jessie was so nervous.

That morning, while most of the house was sitting down to breakfast, Jessie put Grandpa Sam into the van from the assisted living facility.  “They’re going to take you over to the school and will help you find a good seat.”  She reassured him.

“You sure you don’t want me to wait for you?”  He asked.

“No, you go on ahead.”  She kissed his cheek and watched him go.

Precisely on time Aunt Peggy lumbered her way out of the basement.  Ever since his ultimatum Arturo had run out of fucks to give and had let her move in to take care of Maria and Joey.  As usual she was grouchy.  “What are you doing just standing there, lazy girl.”

“Waiting.”  Jessie replied.

“For what?”

“This.”  She said as a taxi drove up. 

The driver parked and got out, her arms full of bags.  “I’m looking for a Jessica Hartwick?”

“That’s me.”  Jessie said.  She let the driver in and started taking the bags from her.

“What is all this?”  Peggy said, coming over to have a look.

“I’m supposed to deliver these packages to Jessica Hartwick, and then pick her up.  And I have an envelope here for Paola Greico.”

“That is me.”  Peggy said.  “What is this?”

“Those are receipts.”  Jessie said.  “Your nephew didn’t buy any of the things in these packages.”

“This I see.  Who is this Kessler person?” 

“That doesn’t matter.  This does.”  With that, in full view of the cab driver, the maid, the nanny, and Aunt Peggy,  Jessie started taking off her clothing.

“What are you doing!”  Peggy shrieked. 

“Not taking anything bought with your nephew’s money with me.”  Jessie said.  She worked quickly, stripping to the skin, tossing her clothing in a pile well away from her, then pulling items from the bags, popping tags and putting them on.  Being naked in front of all these eyes was more than a little embarrassing, she turned her back so they wouldn’t see the important bits, but the alternative would be so much worse.  “This way he can’t accuse me of stealing.”

“What are you doing?”  Peggy cried again.  “What are you doing?”

Simple under things, a neat, white sundress and a pair of low heels.  She didn’t need anything more.  She was leaving everything else behind, every stitch of clothing, every stick of furniture, every slip of paper.  Last night she had bombed her hard drive, her computer was now a brick.  The only thing that had gone ahead was the one thing she would not part with.

Her whip.

Peggy’s screaming woke Arturo and her mother, who came out in their robes.  “What the hell?”  Her mother slurred, still drunk from last night.

“I’m leaving.”  Jessie said.  “And I’m not coming back.”

“Good.”  Her mother said.  “One less thing.”  She turned and wobbled over to the family bar.

Arturo started chuckling, until Jessie stood tall in front of him and looked him in the eye and let him see her well of power.  His chuckled stopped then.  At first he looked angry.  Then ashamed.  Then he looked down.

Jessie turned on her heel and walked away.

* * *

 

**The MGM Signature  
Las Vegas, NV**

Jessie rubbed the steam from the mirror and sighed.

It had been a long day.  Graduation, where she had given the salutation speech, which she managed to not screw up despite the inauspicious start to the day.  Then the official luncheon, where Grandpa Sam and Spencer had taken her allotted two family slots.  She had invited Lady Heather, knowing she could finagle a third slot somehow, but her mentor had demurred.   After the lunch it was a reception by the alumni, and then Grandpa Sam had taken her and Spencer to dinner.  By the time they all made it to the hotel they were exhausted.

The question was, did she want to pin up her hair or not?

She looked at the long, dark curls that fell to her waist.  She was safe here, but there was something intimate about having her hair loose about her.  She made up her mind, pulled her hair into a quick braid, buttoned up the front of her pajamas, bought with an advance from Lady Heather, and headed out to join the others.

They had reserved two connecting rooms, each with two beds.  Tam and Lanny were already camped out on one, both freshly scrubbed and in their nightshirts.  Spencer was as well; he’d had a shower before her, and now was stretched out on the other bed in his funny old man pajamas and mismatched socks.  Because of the room service cart laden with junk food in the corner she had to climb over his longs legs to get to her side of the bed.  How amazing, to just lounge against the pillows like a pasha without a care in the world.  “So what are we watching?”  She asked.

“Something scary.”  Lanny said. 

“Yeah, terrify us.”  Tam said to Spencer, who had the remote.

“Terrify us.”  Lanny agreed.

“All right.  All right.  Um....”  Spencer started looking.  “Have you seen Event Horizon yet?”

“Nope.”  Jessie said.  Okay, this needed a forbidden soda .  And nachos.  Ooey, gooey nachos.

“All right then.”  He started the movie and turned off the lights.

Jessie settled back on the bed, inadvertently almost leaning against him.  He ended up putting his arm around her, started toying with her braid in that restless way of his.  It was really comfortable...

* * *

 

Lanny woke herself snoring.  Jesus they were old.  All of their friends were out partying until the wee hours and the four of them had fallen asleep halfway through the second movie.

Fuck it, if she was going to be old at least she was going to be comfortable and old.  “Hey.”  She said, elbowing Tam.  “Let’s go to bed.” 

Tam opened her eyes and blinked at her.  “’kay.”   She looked over to where Spencer and Jessie were asleep, kind of tangled in each other.  “Should we move them?”

“Nah.  They look too comfortable.  Let’s go.”  Lanny closed the door behind them.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**The MGM Signature  
Las Vegas, NV**

**June 1, 1998**

They didn’t close the curtains.  That was why the cold light of dawn woke them.

Jessie rolled over and looked at Spencer.  He was so beautiful, lying there still soft from sleep in that pale light.  And he was lying there watching her.  “Good morning.”  She whispered.

“Good morning.”  He replied.  “You’re beautiful.”

“So are you.”  There was something about his face in that moment, something so delicate and gentle.  She reached up to gently cup his jaw, and he leaned in and over her and his lips were soft and so very warm.

It was just like she dreamed.

His body was long and lean and the weight of it felt perfect over her, against her.  Her legs fit around his hips just so, another way to pull him to her, to where she ached so badly.  He fit against her as she rolled under him, only the thin layer of their clothing between them.  “Yes.”  She murmured against his lips.

“Yes?”

“Yes.”  This could happen.  This could easily happen and she would never be happier.  “Please.”

His kisses grew stronger, more urgent.  Something else was growing too, she could feel it, she could feel his cock hardening against her.  She knew what that was now , what that meant and what it would do.  She welcomed that.  There was no one else she could welcome that with, no one, she knew that right now.  She groaned as her lips parted and his and she tasted him for the first time. 

This was even better than she had dreamed.

She had to know if he was warm, if the rest of him was as warm as his lips, if he was warm and strong and covered in soft satin skin like Troy had been.  In that moment she had to feel his skin, she couldn’t live a moment more unless she did.  She slid her hands over his sides and down to the hem of his pajama shirt and up and under, running her palms over the small of his back.

In that moment he froze on top of her.  She could feel his mind stop somehow, could somehow hear his heart beating up.  One moment it was good and the next he wasn’t there.  “No.”  He whispered quietly.

She immediately pulled her hands free.  Ought to teach him a safeword, she thought.  But she wasn’t upset, something was _wrong_ but she didn’t think it was her.  “Spencer.”  She murmured.  “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t.  I’m sorry.  I just...I can’t take my clothes off.  I can’t.”  He was starting to shake, these little tremors he likely didn’t even notice.

But she did.  She kept him in her arms, more for comfort now, as she eased him off to the side.  “That’s all right.”  She said gently.  “But why, love?  What happened?”

She meant just now, but he took it some other way.  “When I was in high school.”  He said.  He couldn’t look at her, kept his eyes pinned to her shoulder.  He opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come out.

But it was easy to figure out what was going on.  “Did someone hurt you?”  He swallowed and nodded.  He graduated when he was fucking _twelve_ , she might have to beat the crap out of someone here.  “I’m so sorry, love.”  She said as she brushed the hair from his eyes.

He sagged down and rested his head on her shoulder.  “They tied me up.”  He admitted.

“Ah.”  She held him there, gently rubbing his back.  “That must have been horrible.”  Wait a minute.  “There was this one night you called me, very late.  You asked if Grandpa Sam was there.”

He nodded against her.  “Mom was having one of her spells.”  He said.  “She didn’t even realize I wasn’t home from school on time.”

“Grandpa Sam had gone to bed early, as I remember.  He took something for his arthritis.”  Back then she hadn’t been responsible for looking after his medications.  She’d been all of twelve, he was ten.  “Mom was out for the night.”  She chuckled without humor.  “Three grown-ups between us and not a one functional enough to help.”

He nodded against her, but after a moment shook his head.  “It was scary, but...when I heard about you and Troy....all I could think was how good it sounded.”  He confessed so quietly.

She tried to keep her body relaxed, but she couldn’t help the sudden pounding of her heart.  All at once those two ends of her, the one where she was so strong and the one where she loved so hard, met into something so large she didn’t think she could keep it in her skin.  “Did it?”

“Kind of.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  And not in a jealous way.”  He was quiet for a long moment.  “What happened...felt good.”  He admitted in a whisper.  “Part of it, anyway.”

In that moment she blessed her drive to research everything about a subject.  She’d read about this part.  “It can.”  She said.  “We’re wired to enjoy certain things.  It’s natural.”

“But I was so scared...”

“Of course you were.  Wrong person, or people, wrong time and place, and you were too young to know what was going on.  Sounds like your body got ahead of the rest of you.”

He nodded against her.  “But when I started thinking about just you and...I trust you.”

“That’s the best thing anyone ever said to me.”

“I just didn’t think I’d be so scared right now.”

“Hey.”  She nudged him until he looked at her.  “You’re sixteen.  I’m eighteen.  We have lots of time to figure this out.”

“But what if....I mean, what you’re going to do....”

Oh heavens.  “Spencer, no one is going to hurt me.  I won’t let them.  Heather won’t let them.  I promise, I’ll be okay.”

“But...what if you want to?”

Jessie smiled as she shook her head.  “I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you.  There isn’t anyone else I trust to be that open with.  Not for this.”

“Really?”

“Really.  I love you.”

With that Spencer kissed her again, not with heat, but with more love than she had ever known, and he settled in beside her.  “Are we still a thing?”  He asked.

“Define thing.  Boyfriend-girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“If you still want to be.”

“I do.”  He snuggled closer.

“Okay then.”  Now for the big one.  “Dominant-submissive?”

“Depends on what that means.”

“It means what we want it to mean.”  But there was one thing she knew, she knew in her bones.  “It means if anyone touches you again they answer to me.”

“Really?”

In that moment her well of power felt as boundless as the sea.  “Yeah.”

“I like that.”

“All right then.  And it means I don’t do aftercare with anyone else.”  Because in a way that’s what this was, and the thought of anyone else this needy in her arms was abhorrent to her now. 

“I don’t know what that means.”

“I’ll explain later.  It doesn’t matter right now.”

He was quiet a long moment.  “Does it mean we wait for each other?”

That was a good question.  He was living in a college in LA, she was living in a fetish club in Vegas.  That was a lot of temptation on both sides.  But if she couldn’t discipline herself...  “For now, I think, if you want to.” 

“I do.”  He sighed like a weight was lifting from him.

“All right then.   When we’re ready.”

“Yeah.”

“You know this means you’re mine now.”

“I’m all right with that.”  He snuggled in against her.  “That feels good.”

Just then there was a knocking on the door.  “What are you two up to in there?”  Lanny asked.

Jessie held Spencer close.  “I’m stripping Spencer of his virtue.”  Thankfully Spencer chuckled.

“Yeah, well, work faster.  I want to order breakfast.”

“I’ll give it my best.”  They had to move now, leave this protected place.  But before she let go she kissed him one more time, and smiled at the happiness in his eyes.

Then they went to breakfast.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter references the story told in 03x16 "Elephant's Memory"
> 
> https://youtu.be/1OI0iLzZG4E


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 – Learning
> 
> Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
> 
> \- Benjamin Franklin  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .

**Chapter 19**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**June 1998**

On her first Monday in her new home Jessica woke precisely at five.  She rolled and stretched and sighed.  The one drawback to her new home was the lack of warm, furry lumps in her bed.  Lady Heather didn’t allow for pets, too many allergies, risks of guests being bitten and so on.  Bear and Gigi were happily being spoiled in Grandpa Sam’s apartment, she didn’t have to worry about them, but she did miss them.

Otherwise she was very happy with this room.

No more built ins.  She’d gone to Lady Heather’s storage building, where she kept props and furniture she was not currently using, and at Heather’s behest had helped herself.  And then Heather had turned her around and insisted she pick out nicer things.  And nicer still.  Now she had pieces she swore were antiques, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a vanity, a small book shelf and a small desk, as well as the most gorgeous, enormous, brass bed she had ever seen.  The mattress was new, as were the linens, just for her.

Heather had even had the walls painted Alice blue, so it would feel familiar.

She rolled out of bed, went to the bathroom and did what wanted doing, and pulled on her workout clothes.  As she was tying her shoes there was a knock on the door.  She went to turn the lock and open it.  “Yes?”

A man was standing there.  He was on the short side, older, balding with a fringe of grey hair and more than a little paunchy.  He was also wearing felt slippers, a jock, and a webbing of black straps.  “Good morning Miss Jessica.”  He said with a little bow.  “I came to find out what you might want for breakfast.”

“ROBIN!!!!”  A woman’s voice with a sharp country twang rang out in the hallway.  “WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SNIVELING LITTLE WORM!!!”

“Eeep!”  The little man gave a little hop.  “I must go Miss!  Begging your pardon Miss!  I am so very sorry!!”  With that he scurried out the door. 

Okay then.

Jessica peered down the hallway after him.  The little man was moving at a dead run, shouldering a larger man out of the way with a spew of apologies.  The larger man was younger, mid 20’s or thereabouts, very blond and very big in a muscular sort of way.  He was also wearing all black, with a leather vest and leather boots to his knees.  He turned to watch the little man go as he walked to her end of the hall.  “See you met Robin.”  He said, with a thick, pleasant accent.  “You must be the new girl, eh?  Jessica?”

“Yes, I am.  It’s, um, my first full day.  Robin...works here?”

“Kind of.  He pays us for the privilege.  Five figures a month from what I heard.  Pris enjoys keeping him moving whenever she can.”  He offered her a large, warm hand.  “Pleasure to meet you, Jessica.  Sorry about the whole day shift thing.  Call you Jess?”

“Sure.  Why be sorry about the day shift?”

“Day shift’s boring.  That’s why all the newbies get it.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.  I’m starting Uni in the fall, so...” 

“Ah, well, that makes a difference then.  Mine is too, you know.  I’m Pieter by the way, Lord Pieter to the others.”  He looked down at his shirt.  “I’m wearing anything?”

Jessica blushed.  She’d been staring at his key.  By House tradition every Dominant in the house was given their own skeleton key to wear, one enameled in black and topped with a crest of their design.  House and individual submissives were given distinctly ornate black neck chains.  When a Dominant claimed a submissive they put a shield shaped tag on the chain, showing the claim.  It saved having to faff about looking for actual keys to match actual collar locks in case of emergency, and made for a pleasantly romantic tradition.  “I’m sorry, I was trying to identify the design on your key.”

“It’s the flag of the Voortrekkers.”  He said, holding it out so she could get a better look.  It was a darker blue background with a thick red X over it.  “It’s a family thing.  South Africa.”

That identified the accent.  “It’s distinctive.”  She said.  “Very nice.”

“Thanks.  Haven’t picked one yet?” 

She reached up to touch the plain black key on her neck.  “Actually mine should be delivered today.”

“That was quick.”

“I knew what I wanted.”  After her discussion with Spencer, and a visit with Diana, it was easy to come up with a design.

“I do like a colleague who knows what she wants.  Well, I better be off, my boy is all warmed up for me.”

Jessica smiled.  “Have a good ...can’t really say evening.  Have a good morning Pieter.”

Pieter smiled back.  “You have a good day Jess.  See you ‘round.”

Jessica smiled as she headed for the gym.  Nice people already.

* * *

 

Forty-five minutes on the exercise bike to make up for not riding her bicycle everywhere anymore, then thirty minutes lifting weights, all in a mostly empty gym.  Of course with most everyone here on the night shift she would expect the small but very complete workout room to fill up sometime after noon.  She was not complaining about the peace and quiet one bit though, and the few security guards who were in there with her were pleasant and helpful.

Back to her room for about forty five, to shower and get dressed for the day.  She’d been given the beginnings of a work wardrobe, to be worn around the compound, and a stipend to pick up her own civilian clothes, with the proviso that she have one outfit suitable for court and one for a funeral if need be.  She was going to have to make time to shop.  For now it was sleek, soft boots that were tailored to fit her calves, snug leggings that hugged every curve, a bra that made the most of what she had, a well-tailored sleeveless white shirt trimmed in lace that fit Lady Heather’s Goth-Victoriana theme, and just enough make up to highlight.  With her hair back in it’s usual knot and her key on a black ribbon tied around her neck she managed to look both innocent and somehow sexy as hell. 

Breakfast in the main dining room, which was nearly empty at that time.  But there was one cook working on breakfast, who was more than willing to make her poached eggs on toast with some fruit salad.  While he did that Jessica acquired tea and fished her mail out of the slot in the rack on the wall.  There was some sort of insurance paperwork, some form for the IRS, the usual sort of thing you would expect from your first day.  And a note on Heather’s personal note paper.

_J –_

_I want you to get the office set up this week.  I’ll come find you when I get up to go over what else needs to happen soon._

_\- H_

Set up the office.  How hard could that be?  She’d do that this morning, and then if Heather was all right with it she’d take the afternoon and go pick up some civilian clothes and some things to brighten up her desk.

All in all she was quiet happy with this plan, until she rolled open the pocket door to the office.

And stopped.

Paper was _everywhere_.

There were storage boxes and piles on the storage boxes.  Piles on the furniture.  Piles on the floor.  Bags of paper in the corners.  The desk was a good two foot deep.

Jessica made a slight whimpering sound.  Apparently for all that Heather was clearly an amazing businesswoman, her ability to look after the boring parts of her business were seriously lacking.

Where the hell was she even supposed to begin?

Start with unburying the computer, that’s where.

* * *

 

_Chat Log:_

_Jessica:  FYI no one tried to rape me on my first night._

_Spencer:  Good to know.  What did happen?_

_Jessica:  So far I’ve had a good night’s sleep behind a locked door, a workout, they made me a very nice breakfast, and then sucked down the rest of my life._

_Spencer:  Oh?_

_Jessica:  I have, conservatively, 240 hours of filing to do just to empty this office._

_Jessica:  I’m not going to have time for sex_

_Jessica:  Ever_

* * *

 

Okay, she had a computer.  After some research she had a game plan.  By the time a maid, a taller man in a latex maid’s uniform, showed up with an actual tea tray she was ready to put it in action.  “Oh.”  He said, looking around.  “There’s no real place to put this, is there Miss.”

“No, we’ll need a stand temporarily.  Also a long folding table, if we have them.”

“I believe we have some in the storage barn, Miss.  I’ll have one brought to you.”

“Thank you very much.”  Actual help.  Not in the sense of servants, but in the sense of someone to help her. 

She was really starting to like it here.

* * *

 

“My god, you found the desktop.”

Jessica looked up from where she was sorting another pile onto the table.  Heather was leaning in the doorway, draped in a green silk kimono, looking freshly washed and just starting her day.  “And that’s about as far as I got.”  Thank heaven a small parade of sissy maids kept her in tea, bits of pastry and a lovely salad all day, she’d been able to just stay put and work and work.

“That’s better than I’ve done in, oh, five years.”  Heather sipped her tea.  “The most recent stuff is likely on top, either on the desk or by the door.”

“I was wondering.”  You really couldn’t get mad at your boss, but still.

“Truth is, I’m a people person.  I manage personalities better than I manage systems.  I have a bad habit of picking up the files I want to work on and taking them out to the dining room, and then just dropping them back in here when I get distracted.  It’s kind of maddening but I....I guess I have to confess to a lack of self discipline in this area.”  They shared a smile.  “Terrible of me, I know.”

This place ran like a well-oiled machine.  Other than this room everything seemed utterly perfect.  “No one has to be perfect all the time.” 

“This is true.”

“Um, are we going to share this office?”

“Why?”

“I was going to decorate a bit, once I find the furniture.”

“Do what you like, make it yours.  Like I said, I manage people, I prefer to do that in my parlor if I need to.  Take what you need out of petty cash.”

“Um, I’m likely going to need more filing cabinets.”

“I have a business account at one supplier, my accountant looks after it.  There’s a catalog here...ummm...”

Jessica chuckled.  “I’ll find it.”

“I’m sure you will.  I actually came down to bring you this.”  She fished a small, black jewelry box out of her pocket.  “It’s an unusual design.”

“Is it?”

“Most of the ones that have gone through here have been BDSM related.  Soo-jin has a gold dragon on black, Pris a red labrys on black.  I’ve seen red and gold initials on black, a silver sword on black.  A lot of black.  Of course Pieter has his flag but that’s a family thing as I understand.  ” 

“And yours?  Does the owner of a house wear one?”

“Yes, to mark personal property.”  Heather pulled out her key, a red rose on black.  “Granted no one is wearing the tag at the moment.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”  Heather opened the box in her hand and admired the shield design on top of the black key.  “If I remember my heraldry correctly the white ground symbolizes innocence and purity.”  She turned the key to admire the slight opalescence of the white Jessica had chosen.  “The bend dexter symbolizes protection.”  She traced the wide diagonal line of iridescent blue that crossed from the top left to the bottom right.  “And blue stands for loyalty.  Loyal protector of the innocent.  Not what you would expect in a BDSM house.”

“No?”  Jessica accepted the box, returned the temporary key she was wearing, and hung hers on the ribbon snug about her neck.

“No.”  There was another box, this one smaller, with a shield of the same design on a black chain.  “Who gets this one?”  Heather asked.  “Or is it going in the mail?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, casting
> 
> I toyed with the idea of not casting this, both to leave it up to the reader's imagination and because there's a fair amount of my life in the first two sections of this and it's hard to find people who look like family members without giving it away. But since we are moving in to the realm of pure fantasy now is a good time to cast.
> 
> So without further ado I give you Olivia Thirbly as Jessica
> 
> http://www.deltafilms.net/images/D99/2009/Oliva_Thirlby_23.jpg
> 
> I give you Matt Barr as "Lord" Pieter de Jaager
> 
> http://wilmonfilm.blogs.starnewsonline.com/files/2014/05/AP876791155339.jpg
> 
> Although you won't actually see her for a bit she does raise her voice in this one, so I give you Emmylou Harris as Mistress Priscilla
> 
> https://fanart.tv/api/download.php?type=download&image=67161&section=2
> 
> And Melinda Clarke is cannon as "Lady" Heather Kessler
> 
> https://najslike777.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/clarke21920x1440.jpg
> 
> And for those of you who might not remember Season 1 Spencer Reid
> 
> http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/35000000/Dr-Spencer-Reid-dr-spencer-reid-35086853-1329-2000.jpg
> 
> There is one more character coming up to cast. I'll share him when he comes around.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**June 1998**

“So how’s your Grandpa?”  Heather asked, settling one hip on the desk as she sipped her tea.

“He’s doing really well.”  Jessie replied as she sorted one last pile of papers.  “He’s been invited to join a standing poker game, he’s going to be working with some researchers from UNLV on what he knows about local history and he thinks some of the ladies there are flirting with him.”

“Already?”  Heather laughed.  “Go Grandpa!”

“Yeah, I know.”  Grandpa Sam sounded honestly happy, it was a relief.  “I’m taking him out Sunday for any errands and dinner; I’m going to make it a regular thing.”

“That’s good; it’s good to maintain that connection.  And how is your knight in shining armor doing?”  Jessica immediately flushed.  Heather chuckled.  “Oh come now, he’s yours, anyone can see it.”

Was it that obvious?  Likely.  But it was also good; it felt good to have that relationship known.   She felt her back straighten, her shoulders square.  “He’s working on some research project I can’t even pronounce let alone understand.”

“So he’s at university?” 

“Yeah, he’s working on his second doctorate.”

“Second doctorate?  Wow.”  Heather frowned.  “At sixteen?”

“Yeah.  He graduated Cimarron and went off to CalTech just before his thirteenth birthday.  Yes, he’s a certified genius.”  Jessica said as Heather’s jaw dropped.

“No wonder he was counting cards.  Well I’m not going to say anything because sixteen is the age of consent in Nevada.  How much of an age gap is there between you?”

“Seventeen months.”  Which was unusual at their age, but Spencer was so very mature.  She rarely even thought of it.

“So you two are legal.  But just to be on the safe side I very rarely let anyone stay over in my house until they’re eighteen.  He does have a safe place to stay in the area?”

“Oh yeah, his mom lives here, she has full custody, and he has an aunt and uncle out in Sunny Valley.  They don't get along really well but he can stay with them if he needs to.”

“Okay good.  That’s fine.”  Heather looked into the bottom of her empty cup.  “I need more tea.  What time did you get started this morning?”

“About eight.”

“Good.  Knock off and come for tea.  Order from the boss, come on.” 

Not an order Jessica was going to turn down.  She straightened the last bit and joined Lady Heather on the way down to the small dining hall.  During the day they employed a short order cook who also did a bit of pastry.  Meals were served in a pleasant space of round tables with mismatched chairs overlooking the back deck and pool.  One table was rectangular, one short side occupied by a large, Gothic near throne, which Heather settled into with a sigh.   On Heather’s left was a sturdy black wing chair, and next to it was a smaller black wooden chair, with space for two more chairs beyond.  Across from Heather was a large red velvet chair with stools on either side.  On Heather’s right was an upholstered chair covered in a feminine floral print and trimmed with delicate white carvings and next to it a simple, wooden kitchen chair.  Past that was a chair adorned in brilliant blue silk with an empty space next to it.  Heather waived Jessica to the floral chair.  Jess smiled, this spot at this table had been empty this morning, not that she would have presumed.  “Will that do?”  Heather asked.  “For both of you?  Pick what you think will suit him, for when the time comes.”

“It’s perfect for me.”  The chair was quite comfortable and she loved the colors.  But for him...she looked around the room and swapped the chair out for an old-fashioned western pressback chair that had been painted light blue except for the base.  It was taller off the ground, would give long legs more room, and the color went with her chair nicely. 

While she settled and Heather spoke to one of the riggers Jessica heard some commotion from over by the small buffet.  “Awww, what’s baby boy doing up so early?”  A female voice teased.

“Don’t call me that.”  A soft male voice replied.

Jessica looked over and for a moment her heart was in her throat.  There was a man standing there, one clearly very young, and very tall and extremely slender and pale.  And when he lifted his head his hair was shaggy and brushed his shoulders but it was as black as coal.  Two of the house switches were standing there, teasing him gently.  “But we can’t help it, you’re sooo cuute.”  One said, pinching his cheek.

“Stop.”  He complained.

“Ladies.”  Heather’s voice was strong.  “Leave him alone.”

“Awww, we’re just teasing.”  The other one of the two replied.

“No means no.”  Heather said more firmly.  The two women awed again, but they left him alone.  “When you are ready you may come join us, Luca.”  Heather said as she sat.

“Why do they do that?”  Jessica asked.  “I mean, everyone has been absolutely wonderful, but I noticed...”

“Brats?”  Heather smiled.  “It’s a way of getting attention.  Some Dominants like that sort of sassiness, it amuses them and gives them an excuse to punish.”  One of the maids brought a very proper tea tray, set for two, which Heather poured and shared.  “Do you enjoy it?”

“Personally?  No, I find it rather off-putting.  And I have no desire to play with women.”

“Do you mean sex or domination?”

“Both.”  Nope, the thought of a woman in her bed or at the end of her whip just did not do it for her.

“Good to know.  Ahhh, Luca.”  Heather smiled as the young man joined them with his breakfast.  He sat in the simple black chair across from them, put the large coffee mug he carried in front of the wing chair, and gave her a shy smile.  His eyes were huge and dark and sweetly gentle, like another pair of eyes she knew.  “Jessica, this is Luca, he does not work for us, he belongs to Pieter.  Luca, this is Mistress Jessica, she’s the newest Dominant on staff, and will be managing day shift for us.”

Luca gave her a shy smile.  “Nice to meet you Misstress Jessica.”

Okay, he was crazy cute in a little brother sort of way.  “You can call me Jessie or Jess.”

“Pieter wouldn’t like it if I did but...umm...Miss Jess.”  He grinned at her.

She grinned in return.  “That works.”

“Mistress Jessica is also going to be starting the Hospitality program at UNLV in the fall.”  Heather said.

Luca’s grin widened.  “No way!”

“Yes.”

“That’s awesome!”  Luca turned to her.  “I was totally freaking out!  I thought I was going to be the only one on campus.”

“The only one what?”  Pieter’s accent was thicker in the morning.  He came in looking freshly washed, dropped himself into the wing chair and picked up his coffee.  “’Morning, Lady.”  He raised his mug to Heather before taking a long drink.  “Kinkster?”  He guessed, reaching over to ruffle Luca’s hair.  “Nope.  Not the only baby in the house either anymore.”

“I beg your pardon?”  Jessica said, but Pieter’s quick grin said that he was teasing.

“Not the only baby?!”  One of the girls in hearing distance squealed and came over to see.  “Awww, who’s the new widdle won?”

Heather nodded serenely.  “Mistress Jessica here is also under twenty.” 

Jessica dipped deeply into that well of power, settled her shoulders back against her chair, crossed one long booted leg over the other, and raised one eyebrow, confidently daring the girls to say anything.

They got the point.  “Ummmm, nice to meet you Miss Jessica.”  One of them stammered, bobbing a curtsey before they ran off, giggling.

Pieter chuckled and slowly applauded.  “Well done meisie.”  He said.

“Sir.”  Luca said, “May I have coffee this morning?”

“Yes you may.  Bring back my food too.  Come here.”  Pieter collected a kiss from his before he let Luca go.  That, Jessica thought, was erotic as sin.  “So where’s yours?”  He asked, nodding at the empty chair by Jessica.

“Caltech.  It’s a university out by Los Angeles.”

“A rather prestigious one in fact.”  Heather said.  She looked over at Jessica.  “You must be very proud of him.”

“I am.”  She always had been proud of Spencer’s accomplishments.  She knew what they meant on top of caring for his mother.

“Still, got to be hard being apart.”  Pieter said.

Jessica sighed.  “It is.”

But Heather was looking at the two of them and considering something.  “What kind of porn do you like?  The kinky stuff?”  She asked Jessica.

Jess felt her flush, but she lifted her chin and ignored it.  “Gay male.”  She admitted. 

“Not straight Femdom?”  Pieter asked, not at all thrown off by her confession.

Jessica shook her head.  “The Divine Bitch thing just isn’t me. I don’t even like watching it.  It’s actually easier to imagine myself in the male Dom role in porn, at least the better quality kind.  It just feels like a more comfortable dynamic, better energy.”

“You don’t like humiliation scenes?”  Heather asked Jessica.

“Not my thing really.”  She got into this to make people feel emotionally good, not bad, even if bad was on the path to really, really good for them.  “I hope I’m not limiting myself too much.”

“Not at all, everyone has their dislikes and limits.  But given that having you train with Pris or Soo-Jin is out, and all of my clients are private VIP’s...Pieter, will you train with Jessica?  It sounds like your styles are very close; I think she can learn a great deal from you.”

Pieter shrugged.  “Sure, we’ll give it a go.  If it works out over the summer I might see if you’d be willing to keep an eye on Luca here while you’re at uni.”  Luca had returned to the table, now Pieter pulled him in and hugged him close, just because.

“I’d do that anyway.” Jessica replied.  It was just the right thing to do after all.

“Actually they’re going to be in the same program.”  Heather said.

“Really?”  Pieter asked.

“I was going to ask if I could have him for a study buddy during the day.”  Jessica replied.

“Don’t see why not.”  Pieter replied.  Luca looked over at her with a huge grin.  “He’s not into girls though.”

“That’s all right.  I have mine.”  Not that she and Spencer were, but that was no one’s business but theirs.  She would wait for him, simple as that.

“In that case, welcome aboard junior of mine.”  Pieter grinned and dug into breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the records I have nothing against brats in the scene, or any other way of doing anything. Just don't brat to me, you won't like the reaction.
> 
> And the last OC, at least for now. I give you Ezra Miller as Luca
> 
> http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/wennpic/ezra-miller-premiere-higher-ground-01.jpg


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**July 1998**

_Chat logs:_

_Jessie:  Have you found a therapist?_

_Spencer:   I considered it, but therapists are mandatory reporters._

_Jessie:  So?  I mean, it wasn’t your Mom, was it?  I know she loves you, but she’s not always clued in to reality and all._

_Spencer:  No, it wasn’t Mom.  She doesn’t even know it happened.  She was delusional when I got home that night._

_Spencer:  But she couldn’t protect me.  They could say that I needed to be in foster care for my own protection._

_Spencer:  Which would mean leaving CalTech._

_Jessie:  That’s out then_

_Spencer:  That’s why I didn’t say anything at group either._

_Jessie:  Makes sense to me.  I just wish I could have done something then._

_Jessie:  I would have protected you._

_Spencer:  Against the whole football team?_

_Jessie:  I would have tried._

_..._

_Jessie:  Still there?_

_Spencer:  That’s actually really good to hear._

_Jessie:  I guess the best thing would be to just try not to think about it right now.  When you’re ready it will be there for you to deal with.   It’s not like it’s going to get any worse or better for you._

_Spencer:  No, it’s really not.  CalTech is a really safe place for people like me and telling everyone that I have a girlfriend back home has eliminated any discussion of my sexuality with everyone here.  I can just not think about it nearly all of the time._

_Spencer:  I suppose repressing it isn’t really healthy but it works for now._

_Spencer:  I am really thankful that you’re helping me do that._

_Spencer:  But what about you?_

* * *

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

“All right meisie.”  Pieter said.  “I want basic single column ties on Adam there.  Wrists and ankles.  Let’s see how you do.”

“Yes, Trainer.”  They were in one of the smaller ‘basic’ rooms in the working part of the complex.  The basic rooms were private spaces set up for different kinds of BDSM play, but without the sort of décor needed for role play.  ‘Function’ rooms were set for that.  In this room was a large, padded bench of sorts in the center, a table to hold gear and a plain bench along the wall for spectators.  At the moment the room was occupied by her and Pieter, as well as the two men they were using for practice.  Luca was sitting against the wall, watching them.  Jessica moved to the table, picked up a hank of about fifteen feet of red rope, found the center bight, and began making the wraps for the tie in question.  Adam, her training dummy for the evening, was standing there, naked as the day he was born and already half hard in anticipation.  His body was a work of art; Jessica entertained thoughts of ancient Greek statues just looking at it.  But right now she had to focus on being quick, precise and elegant.

Besides she wouldn’t get anywhere even if she wanted to pursue an interest.  “While she does that get down there and get to work.”  Pieter said to Ben, Adam’s partner and their other practice dummy.  Both men smiled as Ben dropped to his knees and started pressing kisses to Adam’s cock.

Jessica ignored this, as a good bondage rigger should.  Her job was to make sure she had the ropes snug but not too tight, just where they should be first for maximum safety and then for aesthetics.  “Now normally we would go with one color of rope, of course.”  Pieter said as he wrapped a single column around Bens’ wrist in black rope.  “But for now we’re using multiples so you can keep track of which tie is where.”

“Yes, Trainer.”  She pulled the loops over Adam’s wrist and snugged the knot, leaving the ends dangling.  It was an excellent choice for this application, it wouldn’t tighten and cut off circulation over time and would release quickly at the end of the game.  She repeated the wrap on Adam’s other wrist and then on each ankle.  “Not too much.”  She murmured to Ben, taking hold of his hair and pulling him off Adam’s cock as Adam started to moan.

“Good.”  Pieter said.  “Now I want a basic chest harness on Adam, nice and secure.”

“Yes, Trainer.”  Jessica picked up a fifty foot hank, unrolled it, found the bight, and started by wrapping the doubled rope around Adam’s shoulders, running the ends through the bight to secure it.  She repeated this move a second time, laying the second layer of rope precisely against the first.  Then she went around again, this time lower down his arm to hold it to his body, but high enough to avoid pinching the nerves that ran down the outside of the arm.  Through the bight a third time, then over his shoulder and under the chest and arm ropes, carefully using her gloved hands to protect him from rope burn.  A twist around the lower rope and then over the upper ones, so that if he struggled the ropes would jam against each other and not slide up against his throat and choke him.  Back over his shoulder and then one end through the bight, around to the front to tighten down the arm rope, and tied off with a half hitch.  Repeat on the other side and then look it over to make certain every line was perfectly position and placed. 

It was the same precision she had always applied to her life, but here the results were so very different.  “Very good.”  Pieter said, looking over her work.  “Well done.  Now get him up on the table, tie him down and get his ass ready,”

Jessica smiled a little at the praise.  “Yes, trainer.”  Getting Adam up on the table was easy, it was built to have a man about his size kneel on it, and had eye bolts in the ideal places for her to tie off his wrists and ankles so he couldn’t move.  After that it was back to the table to trade black leather gloves for black nitrile and lube, an essential task to keep Adam from being injured by whatever Pieter had planned, and not nearly as unpleasant as she had thought before she started training.  She lubed up Adam’s anus carefully, in a way that made him start to relax and open, and then stepped back to see what Pieter was doing.

Pieter had attached purple ropes to this large, stainless steel hook with a rounded, egg shaped end.  He had lubbed it up, and now he was sinking it into Ben, making the other man groan with the sensation.   That done he slid a condom over Ben’s cock and added a generous amount of lube.  “Get up there now.”  He ordered Ben.  Ben didn’t need much encouragement; he knelt behind his lover and slowly sank into him, both men smiling in pleasure.  As soon as both were comfortable, with a nod from Pieter, Jessica secured Ben’s arms to the table as well.  Now neither of them could reach Adam’s red, swollen cock, which hung between the sides of the bench, hard and bobbing with need.  “All the way in.”  Pieter said, giving Ben’s ass a gentle shove, making him groan.  As soon as he was seated deeply and well, with another nod, Jessica and Pieter each took an end of the rope attached to the hook and tied it to the chest harness on Adam.  Now Ben had a choice, he could rock forward, embedding himself deeper into the tight heat of his lover’s body, or rock back, impaling himself on the hardness of the hook and running the thick end over the sensitive places inside his own core.  Pieter fisted Ben’s hair, made him look at him.  “Remember, Adam gets off first.”  He said sternly.  “If you shoot before he does I’ll send you to bed with welts as thick as my finger and you won’t get off for a week.   Now get to work.”  He let go as Ben swallowed and started rocking, stimulating himself to madness while trying desperately to bring his partner to release.  “Predicament Bondage 101.”  Pieter said as he and Jessica retreated to the viewing bench to watch the show.  “Make them do the work for you.”

“Oh fuck!”  Ben said.

“Did we find out if Adam can come without someone touching his cock?”  Luca asked.

“Doesn’t matter.”  Pieter replied.  “We’ll find out soon enough.  So, yours is coming into town?”  He asked Jessica, his eyes never leaving the men in front of them.

“Yes, in the morning.”  She replied.  Ben was shifting as best he could, trying to hit Adam right in the prostate gland.  But doing so shifted that hook as well, and made him gasp.  Decisions, decisions.  “I’m going to go out and help him with his Mom for the day.”

“Oh god!”  Adam said.  “Touch my cock.  Please touch my cock.” 

“I can’t.”  Ben groaned.  Adam’s cock bounced, hard and red, where no one could reach it.  “Fuck!”

“What does she need?”  Pieter asked.

“House cleaning.  She’s not...well and she doesn’t like having strangers come over and help her.  And his relatives have been...less than helpful.”

“So he’s got to come all the way back from Uni to help her.”  Pieter shook his head. “How long a drive is it?”

“Oh god!  Oh god!”  Ben cried out.  He started chewing on Adam’s neck, stimulating the nerve there.  “Come for me baby, come on!”

“Four hours.”  Jessica replied.

“That’s a damn long time.”  Pieter replied.

“I wanna come!  I wanna come!”  Adam replied.

“I know.  But he doesn’t have a lot of options.”

“Where’s his dad in all of this?”

“Your guess is as good as ours.  He ran out when Spencer was seven.”

“Knew Mom was ill?”

“Yeah.”

“Lovely.”  Pieter grumbled and pulled Luca in closer.

“Come on baby!”  Ben cried out.  “Come on!  Come on!”

“Ohhh, I’m gonna come!”  Adam replied.  “I’m gonna!  I’m gonna....”  With a strangled cry he shook hard and ejaculated, his poor untouched cock going off like a fountain.

“Huh.”  Pieter said.  “Guess he can come without his cock being touched.”

“Now we know.”  Jessica replied.

Now free of constraints Ben shifted and thrust home, very quickly screaming himself as he shook through his orgasm.  Jessica and Pieter stood, gave them both a chance to breath for a few moments and then set about releasing the knots that held the men to the bench.  As they slipped free they caught them up in blankets and let them slip over to a thick pad set up for just this purpose.  The two men tangled in each other, their eyes glazed, their faces gone to goofy grins.  “Good, yeah?”  Pieter asked as he grinned down at them.

“Oh fuck yeah.”  Ben replied, his voice thick with endorphins.

“That was fucking amazing.”  Adam added as he snuggled into his lover.  He looked up at them, his eyes wide and dark from the pleasure.  “Train us up anytime.”

Jessica could feel her own smile growing.  “Can I still get your picture?”  She asked.

“Absolutely.”  Ben replied.

Jessica picked up her camera, stood up, and framed them both from the shoulders up.  That was the best part.

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Spencer:  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so happy._

_Jessie:  I know_

_Jessie:  That’s what’s so amazing about this.  I can be and act exactly the way that feels the most natural, the way that makes me feel the most comfortable, and instead of getting taunted or teased or punished I get this.  I get really happy people who love what we do.  It’s a total charge.   I love rigging bondage, I feel so powerful during impact play and seeing them that happy is amazingly satisfying, but it has nothing to do with my own sexuality.  I can really enjoy what I do and still wait for you._

_Jessie:  I want to wait for you._

_Spencer:  You sure?_

_Jessie:  Yeah_

_Jessie:  But when you’re ready, I want to make you that happy too._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**July 1998**

Eventually Jessica did get the office cleaned out.

It was hard to ask for anything but minor help from Robin.  He was the personal property of Mistress Pricilla, Pris to all who knew her.  She was a hard core Top with a thick side of misandry.  It leant Pris an edge that made her very popular with any man seeking strict discipline, corporal punishment and a large dose of humiliation.  Jessica personally found that distasteful.  She liked men in general, enjoyed their company almost more than she did women, and preferred not humiliating them or anyone if she could help it. 

Asking for Robin to help her with anything more minor than fetching a ladder meant asking Pris if she could borrow him, and she didn’t want to ask Pris for anything.  Pris reminded her too much of Maria, she had a mean, bitter edge around her.  She only ever listened to Lady Heather; no one else could get her to stop.  Of course Pris and Pieter never got along, and since Pieter was her trainer and direct superior when out on the floor staying out of it was in her best interest.  Robin was out.

And the sissy maids were, in the end, of little help.  It wasn’t just that they delighted in the stereotypical role of a “Victorian” ladies maid, serving tea, fussing over hair and nails, and gently hand washing silky under things, it was that they paid a great deal for the privilege of living that fantasy.  Unfortunately most of the help she needed was too prosaic or too masculine for them to bear without a fluttery faint. 

Jessica didn’t want to tell them that the role they loved was really from the Edwardian era.

Pieter, of course, knew ever gay male sub in Las Vegas, but they all had day jobs.  They came to play, not live the lifestyle 24/7.  So they were never around when you needed them.

Well, all except one.

Which was how Jessica ended up asking Pieter if she could borrow Luca to help her paint the office.  “So how did you two meet anyway?”  Jessica asked as she taped off the wainscoting.  There was silence for a long moment.  She looked over to where Luca was standing on the ladder taping off the window trim.  He’s turned bright red.  “You don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s okay.”  Luca had this soft, kinda gravely voice.  Sometimes you had to strain to hear him.  “My shrink said it’s good to talk about it, with safe people.”

“The question is, am I a safe person?”

“Lady Heather thinks so.  And Pieter thinks you’re cool.”

That was a warm thought.  “Does he?  Good to know.”

“Yeah.”  Luca smiled, just a little.  “I, um, I’m from this little town in the middle of nowhere in Oregon.  I came out to my folks when I was sixteen, I thought they would be cool about it but they went crazy on me and my dad kicked me out.”

“Oh.”  Jessica winced in sympathy.  “That’s not fair.”

“Yeah.  I, um, couched surfed for a bit but I wanted to get out of town, away from them.  I found a guy on one of the kink sites who said he had a guest room up in Portland, so I used the last of my cash to buy a bus ticket.  That was a really bad idea.”

“I can imagine.”  Jessica repressed a shudder.  There but for the grace of Lady Heather, really.

“Pieter found me in a play space, where That Guy had...um, yeah.  He saved me, took me home with him.  He let me live with him while I kinda got things straightened out, got back in school and shit.  Didn’t make me do anything.  I mean, anything.  Not even, like, the dishes.  But, you know, I was watching him, the way he treated other people, the way he treated himself.  One day I got sick and he was right there for me even though we were barely roommates.  And that’s when I realized he loved me, and he was just waiting for me to be ready.  He was being all patient and dom-ish and shit, only it was so subtle and so real I didn’t even see it all happening right in front of me.  That’s when I realized I love him and I can trust him with, everything.”  Luca’s smile lit up the room.  “I’ve been his ever since.”

He was crazy in love.  They both were Jessica had seen it on their faces.  It was sweet and good to see.  “Awww.”

“How about you?”  Luca asked.  “How did you meet yours?”

“I’ve known Spencer since he was nine and I was eleven.  We were in this support group for kids with chronically ill parents.  We’ve been best friends ever since.  Then I few years ago I started learning about the lifestyle and he got interested too and now, well, here we are.”  She could feel her own cheeks burning. “Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“He’s sixteen.”

“Ahhh, so you can’t really do anything yet.”

“Nope.  October 9th, 1999 is the magic day.”  She was going to get him a cake, have a scary movie night, and maybe have epic make-out secession, if nothing else.

“Got it.  Childhood sweethearts though, that is so awesome.”  Now Luca was grinning too.  “So why the hospitality program?”

“Lady Heather suggested it.  And there’s the whole solid lock on a job thing, just in case.  What about you?”

“My family owned a restaurant back home.  I’d like to own my own someday.  I figured I should know what I’m doing.”

“That’s awesome.”  Nice to have a real dream, not just a means to an end.  Good for him.

Luca looked around the room.  “You know what we need?  What kind of music are you into?”

* * *

 

When 3 o’clock rolled around Jessica was just finishing the last spots of Rejuvenate Green above the wainscoting and Luca was touching up the coat of Bridal Veil on the trim around the window.  They had KUNV playing on the radio and had stopped to dance a few times.  There was a lot of laughter going on.

Until someone cleared their throat in the door.  “Did you forget something?”  Pieter asked.  He was standing in the doorway, his large mug of coffee in his hand.

Luca stopped and spun with a wince.  “Oh shit.  Yes, I did, Sir.  I’m sorry Sir.  I took my watch off so I wouldn’t get paint on it.”

Pieter considered this, and turned to Jessica.  “That honest meisie, or is he trying to brat on me?”

“No, it’s honest.  I didn’t even realize it was three myself.”  Jessica replied.  She had totally lost track of time, or else she would have reminded Luca.  “It’s as much my fault as it is his.”

Pieter shrugged.  “Mistakes happen.  The room looks nice.  Fresh.  Very girly.”

“Thank you!  I could not have done it without Luca’s help.  He’s been absolutely wonderful today.”

“Good to know.”

“I may have to keep him.”

Pieter considered this.  “You don’t have a penis.”

Jessica considered this.  “Strap on?”

“Not the same.”

“Darn.”  She pulled the poor, blushing Luca to her side.  “Guess I can’t keep you.”  She teased very gently.

“Aww.”  He teased back.

“You two ready for a break or what?”  Pieter asked.

“I think we’re ready.”  Jessica replied.  “We can go soak the brushes and rinse them out later.”

Luca started helping her clean up the mess.  “May I ask Cook for an ice cream soda?”  Luca asked Pieter.  “Please?”

“How much junk have you eaten today?”  Pieter asked in reply.  “If I let him he’d live on nothing but coffee and sugar.”  He said to Jessica.

“None!  We had pasta primavera for lunch, and Miss Jess insisted we have water all day.”

“True?”  Pieter asked Jessica.

 “Yeah.  I don’t believe in doing junk food all the time, I could tell you what it did to my stepsister.  But after all this work an ice cream soda does sound good.”  They had earned a treat.   She was going to have one regardless, but Luca had to get permission from Pieter, that was the agreement they had.  Speaking of potential future agreements... “Come to think of it, Spencer eats a lot of junk food.”

“You said you had pictures.”  Luca said.

“I do.  I brought my album down to pick out a picture for my desk.”  But everything was under drop cloths.  Now where did she put that album?

“Look at them over your ice cream.  Come on.”  Pieter said.

In little time they were in the dining room, sipping on root beer floats and looking over Jessica’s photo album.  “He’s hot.”  Luca pronounced, as he looked at her most recent pictures.  “I would totally do him.”

“Seriously?”  And she thought she was the only one who ever found Spencer attractive.

“Oh yeah.  Get him up on the cross, edge him for a few hours, break that brittle nerd façade he has going on, it would be hot.  Trust me.”

“Let me see here.”  Pieter reached out and pulled the book over.  “Yep.  Boy’s got a point, I may have to keep that one.”

Jessica considered this.  “You don’t have a vagina.”

Pieter considered this.  “Fleshlight.”

“Not the same.”

“Damn.”  He looked over at Luca.  “Looks like you’re not getting a brother today.”

“Darn.” 

Jessica looked at the two of them and considered this.  Family.  Something she and Spencer had only in the loosest sense.  Spencer had his mom, she had Grandpa Sam, but those relationships were so complicated.  And there was something about the tethering of family.

Pieter noticed the expression on her face.  “What are you thinking, meisie?”

* * *

 

_Chat Logs_

_Jessica:  Okay, so I know you’ve been researching BDSM._

_Spencer:  You assume that._

_Jessica:  (e_e)_

_Spencer:  Okay, that little face thing is cool._

_Spencer:  Also, point made._

_Jessica:  Thanks.  Learned it from a supplier._

_Spencer:  A supplier?_

_Jessica:  High end Japanese condoms._

_Jessica:  We order them by the case, mostly to cover toys._

_Spencer:  Yeah, okay, I’ve been reading up on it.  Why?_

_Jessica:  Ever hear of a Leather Family?_

_Spencer:  A Leather family can refer to a small community of people who participate in BDSM or D/s or Leather Culture whose bonds often mimic that of a birth family. A leather family often has a "Head of Family", and some sort of hierarchy between members.  It can also refer to a larger group of people spread out over multiple houses who all follow the same philosophy, usually as a result of studying under the same master.  It can also be referred to as a household or a house, when all the members live together._

_Spencer:  The term House is also rarely used to refer to a business of professional domination. Similar to the usage in publishing or fashion, it represents a commercial venture. A House of Domination is an establishment from where multiple pro doms operate and there may or may not be a specific D/s hierarchy between them._

_Spencer:  It is not unusual for a number of distinct families to live and work out of the same professional house._

_Spencer:  Why?_

_Jessica:  Because we’ve been adopted._

_Jessica:  We meaning me, and you once you turn eighteen and if you want to._

_Spencer:  And family meaning?_

_Jessica:  You, me, Pieter and Luca.   Who are entirely awesome._

_Spencer:  And this is the Pieter you’re training with and the Luca you’re going to school with._

_Jessica:  Yeah.  Can’t wait for you to get to know them._

_Spencer:  I do wish I could meet them.  483 days_

_Jessica:  And Pieter doesn’t even want to talk to you until then, just in case._

_Jessica:  But_

* * *

 

_Luca:  So you’re younger than I am and you have a PhD._

_Spencer:  I’m actually working on my second one._

_Luca:  Whoa._

_Luca:  What’s that like?_

_Spencer:  Not nearly as fascinating as anything you can tell me about the lifestyle._


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

_Chat logs:_

_Jessica:  Ok, serious talk time._

_Spencer:  Uh oh_

_Jessica:  So how are we defining monogamy?_

_Spencer:   As the Dominant, aren’t you supposed to decide that?_

_Jessica:  In theory._

_Jessica:  But we’re friends first.  That matters more to me than any formality._

_Jessica:  And I completely respect your judgment._

_Spencer:  Thank you, that means a lot._

_Spencer:  That said, I don’t think I want to make this decision._

_Spencer:  It’s kind of a load off my mind most days to not have to worry about if I should or should not be chasing girls on top of everything else._

_Spencer:  I don’t have to decide if I’m normal or not._

_Jessica:  I can see that._

_Jessica:  But I’d still like to hear your thoughts on the matter._

_Spencer:  On a personal level I’m honestly still not ready to engage with my sexuality.  The thought of anyone seeing me with my shirt off, let alone anything else, still threatens a panic attack._

_Spencer:  I need therapy._

_Spencer:  I know I’ll need to work on this someday, and when that time comes I really hope you’ll help me.  I don’t think I want to do that with anyone else._

_Jessica:  Honestly, not only will I help you I wouldn’t want you to do that with anyone else._

_Jessica:  Not out of jealousy or some kind of societaly structured construct of how a relationship would be, but because I’ve seen how good it can be, and I want you to be safe and enjoy it._

_Jessica:  I wouldn’t trust anyone else to get you there_

_Jessica:  Unless you decide you’re gay or bi, in which case I’m turning you over to Pieter._

_Jessica:  I admit it, I love you and I want you happy._

_Spencer:  That’s kind of awesome.  Thank you._

_Jessica:  And I don’t want to engage my_

_Jessica:  I guess my inner sexuality with anyone else._

_Jessica:  I want to keep that special between us._

_Spencer:  If you mean what most would describe as your virginity_

_Jessica:  I do_

_Spencer:  Then I am honored._

_Spencer:  Which means we’re still waiting until I get through therapy to actually have intercourse._

_Jessica:  Or oral, or mutual masturbation, or a few other activities._

_Spencer:  Okay_

_Spencer:  So what exactly are you asking?_

* * *

 

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**August 1998**

Jessica adored men in general, and she did love it when they begged.

They were in a basic room again; she was fully dressed right down to her gloves.  And even though she was actually quite turned on by this she wasn’t sharing that fact with the room.  When she was aroused and what got her there was between her and Spencer, and no one else.

Having a man well trussed up in front of her and begging for the sweet release of orgasm was utterly delightful, but she didn’t feel the need to humiliate them in the process.  She preferred a more teasing, friendly style, the sort of domination that came with big grins and laughter and good times all around.  So when she stopped stroking the cock of the man tied up in a very uncomfortable position in front of her just at the very edge of his orgasm and he literally howled and thrashed about, making his cock wave back and forth in the air she grinned at his misery.

“No!  Goddamn it!  Touch my cock, get me off!”  He yelled.

Jessica felt her grin growing.  Poor thing.  “No.”  She said.

“Get me off, bitch!"

Awww. “Noooo.”

He let out a groan like his world was ending.  “Please!”  She reached out one gloved finger and just lightly stroked that soft, velvet head, coaxing a single, crystal drop free.  “Ahhhh!  Damnit!  Mercy, please!”

“No.”  She couldn’t help it, she started giggling at him.  Poor, poor baby, so miserable.  Having to endure so much agony to get to so much reward. 

He took a few deep breaths, the immediate urge settling back into the greater craving.  “You’re not going to get me off?”  He asked, his own grin growing.

“Not right now.”  She replied.  “Maybe later.”

Now he started laughing.  “Fuck.  Fuck fuck fuck.”

“We’re not doing that either.”

“Damn it.”

Pieter was over on the side, laughing as well.  “You’re getting better at estimating where they are in the process.”  He said.  “See if you can get him just to the edge again.”

“Aw fuck!”  The trussed up man said.

“Oh, you’re enjoying it and you know it.”  Jessica said to him. 

The man couldn’t stop laughing, the endorphins already pushing him past a pleasant buzz to a flat out high.  “I know!”  He replied.  “Don’t stop yet.”

“See.  There we go.”

* * *

 

Later, when it was all over and their victim was a happy thing all cuddled up in Pieter’s arms, Jessica asked, “Is it really that good, to be pushed to the edge like that over and over?”

“Yes and no.”  He replied.  “Think about it, a guy only gets to shoot off once before he has to recover.  Even a young guy usually needs to wait until morning.  You do it like this you can keep the good stuff going for hours.  It’s mind blowing.”

“Hard to do if you’re not tied up though.”  Pieter added.  “Instinct is to grab hold and get it done, you know.”

“Why?”  Jessica asked.  She was sitting in a chair off to one side, observing the cuddle pile.

“Because it fucking hurts.  Blue balls are a legitimate thing, meisie.  When they are screaming at you in anger and pain it’s real.”

“But so worth it for the results.”  Luca said.

“Fuck yeah.”  The victim agreed.

When Jessica went to clear away the gear Luca followed.  “What are you thinking?”  He asked.

“That I really want Spencer to have that kind of reward.”  Their victim looked so relaxed and happy now.  She wanted to see that sweet, goofy grin on her love’s face, no matter what it took to get it there.

“So, when he hits that magic day get him in here and tie him up.  I guarantee you he will be kissing your boots for it.”

“Yeah.  It’s complicated.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“That sucks.”  He watched her work for a moment.  “You okay?”

“Yeah.”  Wait, her hands were starting to shake.  “Yeah, it happens.  It’s just...”

“Tops drop too.”  Luca said.  “Come on.”  He caught her sleeve and started dragging her to the pile.

“No.”  She tugged away.

“Why not?  Hell, that’s the best part.”

“That’s not Spencer.”  And this wasn’t Top Drop, this was something else.

Luca considered this.  “Yeah, but Spencer wouldn’t want you to get sick.  Come here.”  He tugged more instantly.  Maybe it was because she was shaking so badly but she gave in and followed.  She really just wanted Spencer, but she couldn’t have him right now.  And that hurt, that ached deep in her belly.

Moments later she was pressed up against Pieter’s side, his big arm going around her shoulders, as Luca crawled into her lap like a long, gangly teddy bear.  “You did good meisie.”  Pieter said, pulling her in tight.  “Everyone’s happy and loved.”

“Yeah.”  She hugged Luca tight, and was hugged in return, his body so close and yet not.  It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was very good, and in that she found peace.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**September 1998**

There was one thing Pieter would not help her learn.  “I don’t use the whip.”  He said

That was surprising.  Using a single tail was sign of skill in the community.  Granted many chose not to use it, they had their reasons, but Pieter seemed like the kind who always strove to be the best in everything.  “Not my place to ask.”  She said.  “But now I am curious.”

“I’m not my grandfather.”  He replied, and wouldn’t say anything more. 

Which was why, when she stepped out into the practice space at 5:30 every day, she sometimes had other company.  “Your forehand still isn’t as strong as your backhand.”  Lady Heather said as she joined Jessica in front of the practice dummy, her boots ringing off the floor.  “Take a few strokes, I want to see what you’re doing wrong.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Jessica lifted the whip and let it fall.

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Luca:  Catharsis via abreaction_

_Luca:  Or so Pieter tells me, that’s what it’s called._

_Spencer:  Catharsis, from the Greek katharsis meaning "purification" or "cleansing", is the purification and purgation of emotions through any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration_

_Spencer:  Abreaction, from the German Abreagieren is a psychoanalytical term for reliving an experience in order to purge it of its emotional excesses._

_Spencer:  So it’s reliving an experience in order to bring up the emotions associated, and then work through them._

_Spencer:  Current therapeutic processes recommend talking through those memories._

_Luca:  Which takes for-fucking-ever at $120 an hour.  Fuck that._

_Luca:  Give me one scene with Pieter and I’ll be months ahead of the game._

_Luca:  Granted I got a lot of shit to go through, so it’s not a magic fix-it-all.  We can only do something like that every three or four months.  In between I get to go see the shrink, he talks it out with Lady H._

_Luca:  But it saves the time from having to go dig for it all.  I say next time I want to work on X, and when I get to the shrink again X is right there on the top, ready to go.  Because I went through it all again so I remember._

_Luca:  It works, man.  I’m telling you._

_Luca:  So why are you interested?_

_Spencer:  Scientific curiosity._

_Luca:  Bullshit.  Try again._

_Spencer:  I don’t want to talk about it._

_Luca:  Don’t bullshit me.  Something happened._

_Spencer:  Yes.  But I can’t talk about it_

_Spencer:  I can’t tell anyone what happened, let alone Jess._

_Spencer:  I just know she’s going to be really upset._

_Spencer:  I don’t know why._

_Luca:  Because she loves you._

_Spencer:  Yeah, but still_

_Luca:  No, that’s it.  It’s a Dom thing, they get crazy protective.  Anyone hurts the people they love the get pissed.  Even if it happened before you met them, they still get pissed._

_Luca:  And a lot of it is at themselves, because they feel like it’s their job, their responsibility, to protect you and they failed._

_Spencer:  Before they met you._

_Luca:  I didn’t say it was rational._

_Luca:  All they want to do is help, even if help means having to relive it or something._

_Luca:  Granted 99% of BDSM isn’t about that._

_Luca:  Most of the time it’s just playing._

_Luca:  Or fucking._

_Luca:  Trust me, that’s good too._

_Spencer:  So I’ve heard_

_Luca:  So you going to tell me what happened?_

_Spencer:  Maybe someday._

* * *

 

Luca walked into her office just as Jessica finished her happy dance.  “What?”  He asked.

“You should have seen it.  Just as Joey was walking down the hall _this_ way to tell me that we’re down to one bottle of Viristat and we need to make an emergency run to pay premium prices at the supply place by the hospital the UPS guy was wheeling in a case _this_ way, bought at a substantial discount from a central supplier.”  She grinned.  “Perfect precision, we spent just enough, no more and got it here just on time, not early or late.  That, my friend, is office domination.  I am the goddess of all I survey.”  She spread her arms out to indicate her office.  “Except for you.”

Luca shrugged.  “Well done Miss Jess.  So, tell me, do I look like a sub?”  He asked, holding out his arms.  “Don’t bother telling me if I look like a fag.  I know I look like a fag.”

Jessica looked him over.  He usually padded around in sleeveless undershirts and loose pajama pants, barefoot, the easier to be there for whatever Pieter wanted.  Now he was in jeans, Converse, and a t-shirt that poked fun at the DARE program.  Only the shield around his neck remained.  “I would say you don’t look like a sub.  Don’t call yourself that.  What is a gay man supposed to look like?”

“Fuck if I know, I just do.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep the bullies away.”  That was her job while they were at school, and Pieter, who still had clients on the night shift, was in bed.  As Pieter’s sister-Domme she had to keep Luca safe.  Granted unless he did something stupid or self-destructive that shouldn’t be all that hard.

“I believe that.  I look normal enough then?  Cool.”

Jessica stepped out from behind her desk.  One of the big trends for back-to-school this year was the naughty schoolgirl look, right down to the plaid skirts.  After 12 years of private school that was a big no right there.  Thankfully the other was little floral dresses worn over bike shorts or little t-shirts or both.  She could pull that off comfortably.  Add in white sneakers, ankle socks, and her hair braided in pigtails and she thought she was good for school.  Only the key around her neck remained.  “What about me?  Do I look like a dominatrix?” 

Luca chuckled.  “I think we’re good to go.  You look about twelve.”

“Lovely.  Come on.” 

She took his arm and dragged him down to the security office.  “I am checking out.”  She said to the bouncer on duty.  “I will be over at UNLV, the main campus.  I’m taking Luca with me, Pieter already gave permission.  We will be back in about five hours.  And I have...my cell phone with me.”  Totally new concept there.

“All right.”  The bouncer said.  “Have a good one Miss Jessica.”

She turned and linked arms with Luca.  “Off to the next adventure.”

* * *

 

**University of Nevada at Las Vegas  
Student Union**

“Seriously?”  Luca asked.  “They only have one LGBT group on campus?”

It was the biannual campus Involvement Fair, when every club and group set up a table to recruit members.  So far Jessica had found a handful that looked interesting.  This table was for skydivers though, not really her thing.  “Are you sure?  This place is full, there could be another one somewhere.”

“I don’t know.  Maybe.  The guys I talked to said that they were the only one though.”  He peeked over her shoulder.  “Tell me you are not thinking about going Greek?”

“Oh please.  Can you imagine?  Pieter has a college degree, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.  Kinesiology, whatever that is.  Why?”

“I was considering the first-gen club, if no one else in your family has ever gone to college, but apparently my big brother has.”

“Thank god someone has a clue.  Man there are a lot of church groups.  Hey, go touch the table, see if they go up in flames.”

Jessica swatted Luca on the shoulder.  “Why?”

“From a sinner getting too close.  Do you have any idea how much dick I sucked this morning?”

“Spare me.  Ooo, Epicurean Society.  Everything food related.”

“Oh there we go.”  Luca dragged her over that way.

 “My how the mighty have fallen.”  Said an all too familiar voice behind them.  “From fucking the entire soccer team to a fag hag in one summer.”

Oh fuck.  “Anthony.”  Jessica turned to see her step brother standing there with his posse, that annoying smirk on his face.  Wait, she didn’t have to keep the peace in the house, she didn’t have to be nice to him anymore.  “Well, you know, I lived with you all those years.  Why are you even here?  Isn’t school going to get in the way of your busy schedule banging hookers and pimping lonely nerds home for your sister?  Has she even gotten out of bed yet?”

“Fuck you bitch.”  He said, with only a little heat.  “I can’t believe you would give up on the honor of being a part of our family...”

“You mean fucking your family.”

“...for this scrawny little faggot.”

“That’s because he’s more man than you’ll ever be.”

Anthony and the posse chuckled at that.  “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”  Jessica stepped up, took hold of his dick through his pants, and squeezed hard enough to make him yelp.  “At least six inches more.” 

He reached down and wrenched her hand away.  “Bullshit he does.  He’s probably got the same tiny dick as that other scrawny assed basketball faggot you were fucking.”

“How do you know?”  It came out before she could stop it.

“Because I got a nice, long good look at it when we stung that little faggot up on the goal post.”  Anthony mimed his hand being tied together and pulled over his head.  “Fucking little faggot thought he could chase the girls and throw off all the curves so no one could pass anything, we showed him.”

Jessica’s eyes narrowed.  “You what?  You tied him to the goalpost and took his clothes off?”

“Yeah.  Had to show him he wasn’t man enough for the job.  Tried to give him a proper ass reaming too, make the little faggot chose the right side, only he was too damn tight for it.”

“He was a child!”

“Shouldn’t have been running with the big boys then.”

Her vision was starting to go red with rage.  How dare he touch what was hers.  How dare he!  “If you so much as talk to us again I call CPS and tell them you and your friends molested and tried to rape a kind under twelve years old.  They’ll pull Joey out of the house and away from you so fast your father’s head will spin.  Got me?”

It took that long for Tony to figure out that he had just confessed.  “Cunt”

She let go, turned on her heel, grabbed a stunned, scared Luca, and walked away.  “Who was that?”  Luca asked.

“My stepbrother.  Come on, we’re going to the registrar’s office.”

“Why?”

“So I can get into the rest of my classes this semester.”

“But you tested out of them.  You were going to use that time in the office.”

As they walked out Jessica looked back and saw Anthony tracking them.  “I decided I want the full college experience after all.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  I hate having a penis._

_Luca:  Um, okay. This is new._

_Luca:  You okay out there?  Physically safe and all._

_Spencer:  Yeah_

_Spencer:  Did you know that when you mix tequila with Mountain Dew it’s really tasty?_

_Spencer:  My roommate and his friends are doing this game thing.  They shared._

_Luca:  Have you ever had alcohol before?_

_Spencer:  No_

_Luca:  Are you eating anything?_

_Spencer:  Pizza and nachos._

_Luca:  Cool.  Don’t drink too many of those.  You’re already going to regret it, but if you stop now you’ll regret it later instead of sooner._

_Spencer:  This is number two.  I’ll stop after this._

_Luca:  Good plan._

_Luca:  So why do you hate having a penis?  Dicks are fun._

_Spencer:  No they aren’t._

_Spencer:  They’re inconvenient_

_Spencer:  They don’t fit into pants well and they’re hard to maneuver modestly in a public bathroom._

_Spencer:  They’re vulnerable, all floppy on the front of your body._

_Luca:  Would you rather be a girl?_

_Spencer:  I would rather not be anything._

_Luca:  Don’t be like that man.  Dicks are fun.  Come on, think of what gets you hard, what gets you off.  Isn’t that fun?_

_Spencer:  Assuming you mean reaching orgasm and ejaculation I’ve never gotten off._

_Spencer:  The only time I was ever aroused was not good._

_Spencer:  Well, there was the time I spent the night with Jess._

_Luca:  See_

_Spencer:  But that was a lucky fluke.  She’ll dump me eventually._

_Spencer:  Then this will just be a superfluous point of vulnerability._

_Luca:  Okay, something has to get you going regularly.  Something has to bring the happy.  What kind of porn do you like?_

_Spencer:  I don’t.  Porn is unrealistic and degrading._

_Luca:  Are you serious?_

_Luca:  Okay, now I know what you’re getting for Christmas._

* * *

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**December 1998**

“Do you really want to do this?”  Pieter asked.

Luca took a deep breath.  “I do.”  He replied.

“You know this is crazy.”

“I know.”

“But you are determined.”

“I am, Sir.”

Pieter shook his head.  “All right, you have my permission.  But within my guidelines, always.”

“Yes Sir.”

Luca took a deep breath, pushed away from the table, away from his oh so safe spot between Pieter and Lady Heather, across from Jessica, and stood.  He made his way down to the far end of the table.  There Pris reigned, her favorite subs and switches of the moment gathered around her.  She was a rail thin woman with shoulder length grey hair, glasses, and an edge of country roughness to her ladylike manner.  He approached slowly, more than a little nervous.  “Mistress, may I speak?”  He asked, carefully keeping his eyes on the tips of her boots.

The crowd around her went mostly silent.  “If you get down on your knees and address me properly.”  Pris replied.

“My apologies Mistress, but Lord Pieter has forbidden me from being on my knees.”  He carefully controlled his face as he slipped in the reminder that Pieter outranked her in the house hierarchy. 

“He would.  What do you want?”

“Mistress, I would like your permission to have Robin assist me in a project.”  He quickly met Robin’s eyes, where the little man was curled into a ball at Pris’ feet.

“What sort of project?”

“A gift for my brother, Mistress Jessica’s Knight.”  Not sub or slave or servant or property.  Jess referred to Spencer as her Knight when asked.   Sometimes she even called him Sir Percival.

“Huh.  Why do you want Robin?”

“He’s the best photographer I know.”

* * *

 

**Avery House**   
**California Institute of Technology**   
**Pasadena, CA**

It was late at night when Spencer could finally close the door to his room and settle in.

He sat at his desk and turned the light on there, just that light.  Whatever was in this package was likely something that wanted maximum privacy, much like the last.  The gift of a journal filled with romantic and thoughtful essays from Jess complied over the year had been a truly touching holiday gift.  He hadn’t expected a gift from Luca at all. 

He opened the package and lifted out an unusually sized book.  A photography portfolio.  In the package was a note:

_S –_

_Porn doesn’t have to be unrealistic and degrading.  Everything in here is very real and everyone consented and was having a real good time.  See if any of this gets a rise out of your pants.  It might help you find a place to start figuring things out._

_\- L_

The first picture was a black and white of a slender man about his age of indeterminate height.  He was pale, with dark hair, and wearing a dark t-shirt.  He was standing framed by a hallway, and waving at the camera.  The caption, on a small card affixed to the bottom of the page, identified this as Luca, and the date as two weeks prior. 

The book was broken out into sections, all black and white photography.  The first was dedicated to women.

There were all sorts of pictures of women in there.  Some were in lingerie, some in outfits more complicated, more revealing.  Some were tied up, bound with ribbons, or rope, or chains.  Some were kneeling, submissive, vulnerable.  Some were touching themselves, some each other; one was performing oral sex on a man.  It was a rich, tempting display, but it did nothing for him.  He honestly would have been more comfortable if they had been in street clothes, sitting around with books and coffee cups in hand.

The second section was about men dressed as women, and women dressed as men.  It was fascinating, in an intellectual sort of way, but it did even less for his libido.

The third section was all about men. 

Here too they were dressed for sex, or so he supposed, in various amounts of leather mostly.  The black leather set off tight, muscular bodies of a kind he could never hope to achieve.  He would never have the build of an athlete.  He was doomed to forever look like some pale worm of a thing, bony and frail, disgusting in the eyes of everyone who ever looked at him.  He would never manage to become this even though he wanted to.  Later on those same bodies were tightly wrapped in rope, their members thick and hard with want, their eyes full of lust and laughter and respect for each other.  Even love.  They loved in a way that did appeal, deeply so.  But that still wasn’t quite right.

The next section was more intimate. 

Jess was there, in some sundress and shorts.  She was in an office that had to be hers, paperwork spread out.  She was standing on a loading dock, clipboard in hand, going over a delivery.  She was talking to what looked like a security team.  She was sitting with Luca in the sun, textbooks open on their laps, smiles on their faces as they spoke.

Luca was in this as well.  The photographer caught him helping in a kitchen, working over a chopping board.  In another he was winding what seemed like miles of rope in some kind of dance studio.  In another he was in some gothic library, holding an open book in the sun.

In others he was with another man, big and blond, older, as tall as he was but three times as wide in the shoulder.  He was there with Luca, in one he was holding Luca by the chin, looking into his eyes, both of their faces alive with love and trust and happiness.  In the next they were at some kind of dining table, with Luca sitting in the older man’s lap, both of them attentively listening to someone off camera.  In the third, oh, in the third they were both looking off to the left side of the picture.  Luca was shirtless, the older man slightly behind him.  The older man was so focused it could be felt.  Luca’s eyes were closed, his face showing intense ecstasy.   The older man had to be Pieter.  Spencer studied Luca’s face in that picture for a long time, as he felt this odd, warm sensation.

The next picture took the breath from his lungs.

There was a woman sitting at a table, likely the same dining hall that had appeared in a number of pictures.  Long legs sheathed in tight leather boots to the knee were resting on the table.  Snug riding pants clung to sleek curves.  Some little lacy shirt revealed just enough of what were surely perfect breasts to tempt and tease.  Dark hair was pulled back, sleek and sharp.  She was looking off camera, her face partially obscured by her tea cup.  Spencer felt his heart start to race just from looking at her, she was so impossibly beautiful.

The next picture was even worse.  She was with one of the men, his face a mixture of anger and pleasure, his body tightly wrapped with rope and bound to a column, his member hard and achingly dark.  Her back was mostly to the camera, but he could catch just enough of the wicked, satisfied pleasure in her eyes as her gloved hands just caressed the tip of his...his cock.  For a moment Spencer could almost feel her hands on him, and he felt himself stir down there as a jolt of electricity seemed to pass through him.

In the third she was in silhouette against big windows, standing behind one of the bound men, some large multi-tailed whip like thing in her hand as she lashed out against his bare backside.  Her body was pure elegance in form and motion.

The next picture made him stop.

He quickly flipped back through the others, studied them once again.

This was not possible.

It couldn’t be.

But it was.  It was.

That amazingly beautiful woman was _Jessica_.

In the picture that stopped him she was standing in that dance studio with Luca.  Luca was shirtless, in some kind of loose, dark pants.  Jess was wrapping rope around his arm in some complicated sort of way.  Pieter was standing in the back, watching what she was doing.  They were all smiling like they had been joking around a moment before.

All of a sudden a thought flashed across his mind.  What if it was him there?  What if it was him in that warm, sunny room, half dressed with these special people, with Jess, paying him so much attention?  What if it was him she tied up so he wasn't responsible for _anything_ and then she...she...

He shifted and gasped as he realized he had swollen so badly his zipper was starting to bite into the head of his penis.  Looks like something got a rise out of his pants after all.

The last picture brought tears to his eyes.  They were in a garden somewhere.  Luca was there, with Pieter behind him, hugging him, big smiles on their faces.  Jess was standing next to Luca, her pigtails swinging.  Behind her was some kind of frame, with some vaguely human shaped dummy tied to it with ropes.  Attached to the dummy was a sign.

 _You_  
Right  
Here

The realization overwhelmed him then.

He pulled out the pendant she had sent him and looked at it.

He’d had no idea at all.

* * *

 

_Spencer shivered hard.  He was tied, hanging there, helpless, his toes barely brushing the ground, his clothing gone.  The crowd around him jeered and taunted and laughed at him.  How ugly he was!  How small!  How pathetic!  How nasty!  No one would ever want him, he was disgusting!  He shivered in fear as they threatened to show him, harm him somehow, how being the only question._

_But he also shivered because he was helpless.  What happened here could not be helped.  And the sun was warm and the breeze cool enough and someone might just touch him at some point in a way that didn’t hurt and there was nothing he could do to stop it at all.  He was not responsible for any of this, for anything right now.  How novel was that?_

_Then the crowd stopped._

_He could sense them melting away._

_There was the ringing sound of boot heels on the floor.  “Anyone who hurts you answers to me.”  Jess said._

_He opened his eyes and looked at her.  Yes, she looked like that, but her hair hung in loose curls like black silk.  He was helpless, she could do what she wanted, but he knew in his bones she would never hurt him.  She stretched up, pressing her body against him every soft curve exactly what he remembered.  Her lips were sweet on his._

_Then she reached down and stroked him, her fingers just caressing the tip..._

* * *

 

Spencer woke with a strangled cry as his body convulsed.  The pleasure of that dream so intense it ripped him right out of sleep.  Oh, he wanted that.  He wanted that so badly he ached.  He needed to know what that would be like, just once.  Just once.

When he settled back he realized the sheets and blankets were wet.  And his body was still humming.

Oh.

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Spencer:  So you were right about tequila and Mountain Dew.  I will never make that mistake again._

_Spencer:  Also the whole penis thing._

_Luca:  So which pictures did it for you?_

_Spencer:  The ones at the end with Jess._

_Spencer:  Thank you for that._

_Luca:  You’re welcome.  May I?_

_Spencer:  Go ahead._

_Luca:  I told you so._

_Luca:  When you turn eighteen you are going to have more fun than you can imagine._


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**1935 Park Shadows Lane  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

Turning eighteen was not more fun than Spencer could imagine. 

“What are you going to do with the house?”  Aunt Ethel asked.

Spencer was watching a large red and white van pull away from the house.  This had not gone as he had hoped.

“Spencer?”  Aunt Ethel asked.

What had he done to his own Mother?  It was his job to take care of her, he had been the man of the house for eleven years, and now what had he done?

“Spencer, what are you going to do with the house?”  Aunt Ethel asked again.

He couldn’t do it.

He had reached the end of his tether.  Any minute now he was going to lose control of his emotions, just like he had lost control of this situation.  He wasn’t any sort of an Alpha personality; control of anything was never his forte.  He should never have tried to control this at all, but he had and now look where it had gotten him.

“Spencer!?”  Aunt Ethel was growing more exasperated.

He stared at her a long moment.  Then he turned and walked to the house.  He went inside and made sure all the doors and windows were locked.  Then he locked the front door behind him.

“What are you doing?”  Aunt Ethel asked.

“Leaving.”  He replied.  “As my mother’s guardian I am now responsible for her home and belongings.  If anyone enters without me it’s trespassing.  If anyone takes anything from there it’s theft.  I will not hesitate to contact the police.”  He pushed past his Aunt and Uncle and got in his car.

“Spencer!”  Aunt Ethel started knocking on his window.

Carefully and slowly, so as not to hurt her, he pulled away.

* * *

 

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

Spencer had never been here before.  But he had memorized the map to this place long ago.  By the time he pulled into the back parking area he could barely see to drive through the tears in his eyes.

What had he done?

What was he going to do?

He sat there in the heat of the desert sun, slowly weeping, until someone came around and opened his door.  “Hey sweetie, are you all right?”  Someone asked in a falsetto voice.  Spencer shook his head; he didn’t trust himself to speak just then.  “Hang on sweetie.  Go get Mistress Priscilla.”  The voice said to someone else.

A moment later he sensed someone crouching down beside his seat.  “You okay kid?”  A female voice with a country twang asked.  He managed to open his eyes enough to see a woman there.  She had grey hair, was long and slender and there was something stern about her, so like his mother...oh what had he done?  He couldn’t help it; he started crying harder, even as he fumbled at his collar.  “Hang on kiddo.”  Someone very gently reached between his shirt collar and skin and pulled that pendant out into the light.  “Ah.  Okay, come on.  Let’s help him out.”  The woman stood and got out of the way.

The next thing he knew hands were reaching for him.  Gentle but firm hands undid his seat belt and pulled him to his feet.  They guided him into a building, large and cool, and down this hallway and that one.  He had no clue where he was going and he wasn’t sure he cared.  He just kept hearing his mother screaming over and over and over.  Help me.  Help me.  Help me.

“...had no idea he was in town.”  A familiar voice was saying.  “Thank you.”

“No problem.”  The voice with the twang replied.  “He’s a good boy, I can already tell.”

Then there was a familiar scent and a familiar presence and warm, familiar arms were going around him.  “I’m here, Spencer.”  Jessica said.  “What’s wrong?”

“Mom.”  He managed to choke out between his sobs.

“Oh.  Come here.”  She pulled him over until they were sitting on something like a couch, and held him while he told her everything that had happened that day.  He had planned to leave Caltech after classes, drive the four hours back to Vegas, and spend the night with his Mother.  He was going to patiently explain that she really needed to go to stay at the hospital, that she really wasn’t able to care for herself anymore.  And then he was going to help her pack and move her things in a way that would hopefully minimize her anxiety and fear.

But when he arrived he found out that somehow the hospital and his Aunt and Uncle had screwed up the schedule, and while he was in class that morning they had switched her pick up time to this afternoon.  As he pulled up the ambulance arrived.  He’d had no time to prepare or help her pack or anything.  And she had literally been pulled out of the house screaming.

“Oh Spencer.”  Jess said as she held him and gently rubbed his back.  “It’ll be okay.  She’s safe, she just doesn’t understand that.  But we’ll do what we can now.”

“Yeah?”  He couldn’t stop crying.  Spencer put his head on her shoulder and let the tears go.

“What’s going on meisie?”  A male voice with a thick accent asked as Spencer felt someone crouch in front of him, gently touch his knee and press some tissues into his hand.

“This is Spencer.”  Jess said.  “Something screwed up the schedule, they took his mom to the hospital today instead of tomorrow. And his relatives have not been helpful.”

“She was terrified.”  Spencer said.  “She was screaming.”  He wiped at his eyes, his nose, trying to get any kind of control back.

“Hey.”  Said another male voice, soft and gentle.  Spencer opened his eyes and found himself staring into Luca’s kind face.  “It’s going to be okay.  We can help.  At least I think we can help.”   He looked up and back at the man standing behind him.

“We’ll do what we can.”  The big, blond man replied.  He held out a hand for Spencer.  “Pieter de Jaager.”  He said.  “Think you already know my Luca down there.”  He gently nudged Luca’s back with his knee.

“Dr. Spencer Reid.”  Spencer managed to mumble.  “Yeah, I do.”  If months and months of chatting online counted as knowing.

“Doctor, hey.  Got good taste there meisie.”  Pieter grinned at Jess.  “He’s yours, it’s your call.  So what are we going to do?”

“I think our first step is to go to the hospital and check on Diana.”  Jess replied.  “Take it from there.”

“All right.  I’ve got six hours before my first client.  I can skip a day in the gym; you can skip a day of training.  Let’s go.”

* * *

 

**Bennington Sanitarium  
Las Vegas, NV**

“I am so sorry Dr. Reid.”  Dr. Norman said when they met with him at the hospital.  “Somehow our wires were crossed.  If we had any idea you weren’t back in town we never would have gone ahead with today.  But we had an opening, and if we can keep an ambulance crew from working on a Saturday...”

“I understand.”  Spencer replied.  “It was partially my fault; I shouldn’t have listed Aunt Ethel as an alternate contact.  I’ll need to change that paperwork today.”

“Understandable.”

“How is she?”

“Sedated, unfortunately.  She was being very combative with staff.”

“I understand.  May I see her?”

“Of course.  She’s in one of our quiet rooms.”

The room was plain, barren.  But for combative patients it was best that way.  Diana Reid was lying on the bed, lost in a drug-induced sleep.  Spencer sat in the chair beside her bed and took her hand, the tears starting up again.  This wasn’t what he wanted.

* * *

 

“I’m sorry.  I don’t believe we’ve met.”  Dr. Norman said.

“Jessica Hartwick.”  Jessica offered her hand.  “I’m Spencer’s...fiancée.”  Pieter and Luca’s heads turned as one to stare at her.  She ignored them for the moment.  “We’re...here to help Spencer and Diana through this...”

“Of course.  Of course.  I’m just glad he has some support.”

“Is there anything that needs to happen right now?”

“Um.”  Dr. Norman consulted his file.  “It looks like all of the paperwork is in order.  Professor Reid didn’t arrive with any luggage, is Dr. Reid going to bring anything around for her?”

“I believe he was going to help her pack this evening.  What does she need?”

“We have a recommended list.  Would you like a copy?”

“Please.”

While he stepped to the office Pieter and Luca stepped closer.  “Fiancée?”  Pieter murmured.  “You holding out on us meisie?”

“I couldn’t exactly say Mistress, now could I?”  Jessica replied.

Luca snorted.  “If you make me maid of honor I am not putting on a dress.”

“Hush you.”

Dr. Norman returned with some papers in hand.  “Here we go.”

After a few minutes consultation Jessica stepped into the quiet room and crouched down next to Spencer’s chair.  “We’re going to go pack some things for her, get her room ready for her so you don’t have to worry about it.  You can stay here with her until visiting hours are over tonight.”

Spencer looked at her through tear hazed eyes.  “Really?  You’ll do that?”

“Of course.  Losers have to stick together.”  They shared a smile then.  “Is there anything in particular she’ll need?”

* * *

 

After his...no, they were not friends, this was his family now...left Spencer turned to his mother.  “Looks like I can stay for a while.”  He said.  “You always loved Proust as I recall.  For a long time I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say I’m going to sleep.”... Spencer sat there for the rest of the afternoon and read to his mother from memory.

* * *

 

**1935 Park Shadows Lane  
Las Vegas, NV**

Boxes. Packing tape.  Some bubble wrap for the few fragile items.  Jessica. Pieter and Luca descended upon the small, suburban house, a well organized army on the march.  “This is where you grew up?”  Luca asked, looking around the neighborhood.

“Yeah, until high school.  We lived in that house down there.”  She pointed down the block.  “Spencer and I used to ride our bikes all over the neighborhood.”

“Did you eat Wonder Bread too?”

“Um, white bread like that, yeah.”  Made the best after-school grilled cheese.

“Damn.”

“Come on.”  Pieter said.  “Let’s get this done.”  Jessica let them in to the familiar house.  “Is Spencer coming back here to stay?”

“In the state he’s in?  No, he’s sleeping in my room tonight.”  Even if he wasn’t comfortable in her bed she’d have another set up.  She wanted him in hearing distance.

“All right then, let’s do up the dishes and tidy the kitchen while we’re here.  You two can come back this week and clean out the refrigerator.”

“Right.”

“So what are we going to do with the rest of it?”  Luca asked.

“I don’t know for certain.”  Jessica replied.  “I’m going to tell Spencer to have it all put in storage for now, and to put the house on the market.  The sale price should cover Diana’s expenses for some time.  Then he can go through it all over winter break.”

Pieter nodded.  “Good plan.”

Thankfully it didn’t take long.  And they didn’t encounter any of Spencer’s relatives along the way.  “I might have had to lose my demeanor.”  Jessica said as they packed the last boxes in the Jeep.

“What?”  Luca asked.

“I might have slapped the shit out of Ethel.”  Jessica translated.

“Not a good way to introduce yourself to your future in-laws.”

“We’re not getting married.”

“Now that I don’t believe.”

Pieter just laughed as they drove back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up directly after the third flashback from 02x15 "Revelations".
> 
> https://youtu.be/1HMynu1K3s4
> 
> Also, please note the time jump.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 4 – Play
> 
> We don't stop playing because we grow old;  
> We grow old because we stop playing.
> 
> George Bernard Shaw  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .

**Chapter 27**

**Bennington Sanitarium  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

As visiting hours were winding down Spencer took his leave of his still sleeping mother.  Likely Diana would never even remember he had been there, but he had.  He had done his best.  That would have to be enough.

He went to what would be his mother’s room to find the others.  When he had first arrived it had been barren, a plain bed, a small nightstand, a dresser, a table and chair.  But they had transformed it.  The curtains from his mother’s favorite reading nook were hanging at the window, and her rocking chair was there with her pillows and her favorite lamp and a small bookshelf with her favorite books.  There was a cloth on the table and her work was there, her writing and her files and even her pens and pencils, just waiting for her.  Her quilt was on the bed and her pile of pillows, all clean and waiting for her.  Pictures of him, them, family, were placed around the room.  He knew without looking that her clothes were in the closet, her toiletries in the small bath.  It was as settled and comfortable as it could be.

Luca stood in the middle and spread his arms. “Well?”

Spencer smiled through his tears.  “It’s perfect!  It’s exactly what I would have done.”

“Good.”  Jess replied.  “We can come back and show her tomorrow.”

“Actually they suggested I give her a little time.”

“I thought of that.”  Jess nodded and handed him a package. 

He opened it carefully.  In it was a box covered in a pleasant pattern.  Inside was letter sized stationary, a space with a pen, envelopes, and a space for stamps.  “A writing set?”

“Writing letters is more romantic.  In the historical sense.”  She nodded.  “See?”  She gestured to a covered basket.  “A place where she can keep your letters, until you can see her again.”

“This is...thank you so much.”  He pulled her and hugged her tight.

“Well folks, I have to get back.”  Pieter said.  “Got to go tan some arses, earn the pennies.”

Luca turned to him.  “Sir, will you need me tonight?”

“Not that I know of.  Why?”

* * *

 

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

It was not what Spencer expected.

Okay, there were people running around the residence halls in all stages of dress and costume, but once you got over that it felt a lot like a dorm.  Granted a very, very nice dorm.  And Jess had a very, very nice room.  Where he was staying tonight.  “I can just...stay here?”  He asked.

“Yeah.”  Luca replied.  “Every full-time, live in Dom gets one submissive kept on the house.”

“Actually it comes out of salary.”  Jess replied.  “But you’re not here full time, so it’s not that big of a deal.”  She reassured Spencer.

“Sure?”

“Yes.  Hush.  You live here now.”

“If you insist.”

There was some question of where he was to sleep though.  “Honestly, I’m not ready for, ummmm....”  He said, staring at her bed.

“I know.”  Jess replied.   “I was thinking sleepover style.  But if you want your own you have that option.”  She nodded to the day bed under the window.

“Actually I’d rather sleep in yours.”  He replied.  They only had once, but he really enjoyed the comfort of the company.

“All right then.”

“So what are we doing tonight?”

Which was how he ended up in that big bed between Jess and Luca.  The pillows were piled, the plates of nachos were hot, and there was a stack of horror movies waiting to be watched.  He couldn’t think of a better way to take his mind off of everything then a quiet movie night with the two people he had come to care about second only to his Mom. 

“You two do know how I get with scary movies, right?”  Luca asked.

Jess and Spencer looked at each other.  “Do we need to put you in the middle?”  She asked.

“Nah....maybe.”

“Great.”

“Blair Witch Project?”  Spencer asked.

Jess nodded.  “Go.”

* * *

 

The next morning Spencer awoke to the sound of someone snoring.

He was tucked into the most comfortable nest he’d ever slept in.  The bed was sinking in soft; the covers were just the right amount of warm, and he had been deeply aware that he was not alone and that it was a good thing.  He was pressed up against Luca’s slender strength, and against his back he could feel Jess’ soft curves and the weight of her arm draped over his middle. 

But neither one was snoring.

He lifted up a little and squinted.  There was the large shape of a man in the daybed under the window.  He could just make out that he was blond before someone tugged him back down.  “I knew he would do something like that.”  Jessica whispered.  “He hates sleeping away from Luca.  When Luca had to switch to a day shift schedule for school Lady Heather moved him into a two room suite, so he could work with clients in the front room and still be able to hear Luca sleeping.”

“What if I had taken the daybed?”

“I would have had very little room to sleep.  And he would be snoring in my ear.”

Spencer very carefully and gently rolled over to face her, and to lie in her arms.  “And you’re okay with that?”

“Yes.  I trust both of them.  Adore them really, but not like you.  It really is like having two brothers around.  People at school keep mistaking Luca and I for twins.”

“You do have a very similar appearance.”  He reached down the front of his pajamas and fished out the small tag that hung there.   “This was the first thing people looked for yesterday.  What does it mean here?”

She considered this.  “Between us?  It means whatever we want it to mean.  We can figure that out as we go.”

“Doesn’t it mean you’re supposed to be making me follow all these rules?”

“That’s something for people who want someone else to give them structure in their lives.”  She sighed and nuzzled him.  “You’ve been looking after yourself and your mother since you were seven, and you’ve been on your own since you were twelve.  Do you really want someone to provide structure for you now?”

Did he need that?  Did he want that?  At school he was fine, his life flowed from day to day competently.  “No, not really.”

“There we go then.  Tell anyone who asks that I told you not to be on formal manners and not to kneel and just be yourself.  That’s all.”

“What about....”  He felt himself flush as he thought about it.

“About?”  Jessica was smiling at him.

Spencer took a deep breath.  “There are a lot of...adult activities going on here....”

“You mean is anyone going to proposition you for sex?”  Spencer nodded.  It was something that had concerned him about this day.  “No, they aren’t.”  She touched the tag.  “This means that if anyone wants to ask you to do more than hold a door or move a chair they have to come ask me first.  You don’t even have to tell them to come to me, they’ll assume that and not discuss it with you.  Do you want anyone to suggest anything?”

“No.  I’m still not comfortable even talking about it.”  But then he thought about it.  He was curious about some things.  “Well....”  He looked over his shoulder at the two others in the room.

Her smile grew.  “Okay ,talking about it with anyone other than the people in this room.  And maybe Heather?”

“Heather.  But no one else.”

“All right then, that’s what I’ll tell them if anyone asks.  And no one lays a hand on you, period.  Well,” she considered this a moment.  “One exception.”

“Oh?”

“See, I kind of like kissing you.  Kind of a lot.”

“I think we could allow that.”  He said with a smile.  Because even though he still got panicky at the thought of taking his clothes off, he did like kissing her.  He liked the way she felt in his arms.  And he loved the soft weight of her when she rolled on top of him as her lips found his.  He could get used to sharing her bed and being kissed there, kind of a lot.

Unfortunately they weren’t the only ones moving in the bed.  A few minutes of making out later and a soft male voice spoke by his ear.  “Ahh, I finally get to see a straight couple go at it vanilla.”  Luca whispered.

“Go back to sleep.”  Jess said, punctuating her sentences with kisses.  “You’re dreaming.  You’ll wake up soon.”

“Awww.  Not going to let me watch?”

“No.”  Spencer and Jess said together.

“Darn.  Another dream shot.”

“At least not the first few times.”  Spencer said before he thought.  They both stopped and stared at him.  “Um, let’s forget I said that for now.”  Because he wasn’t quite ready to share everything he’d been day dreaming about for the past few years.  Instead he tried to get up.

“Hold on.”  Jess whispered, pinning him to the bed.  His body’s reaction was quick, and he saw in her eyes that she noticed but she didn’t say anything.  “We have a mission, Gentlemen.”

“Uh oh, Miss Jess is taking control.”  Luca teased gently.  “What do you need us to do, Ma’am?”

“Get out of this bed and get dressed without waking Pieter.”

Luca looked over his shoulder at his love.  “Now that is going to be a trick.  I’m gonna reduce the crowd by one.  You working out today?”  Jess shook her head.  “’K. Meet you at breakfast.”  With that Luca slithered out of the bed and tiptoed out.

Spencer and Jessica got up themselves, and spent the next few creeping around the bedroom, pulling clothes out of drawers and suitcases and taking turns in the bathroom.  “I have observed that clothing choices seem to matter in this community.”  He whispered to her at one point.  “Should I wear anything special?”

Jessica considered this a moment.  “I don’t think so.”  She whispered back.  “Not sure.  I know it won’t matter today or tomorrow though.  I’m wearing civilian clothes; we’re going to go clean out your Mom’s house.”

“You don’t have to work today?”

“I thought you were coming in today so I took the day off.  Pris is covering for me.”

“Oh.  Great.”  That made it simple.

They finished dressing and crept out the door, Pieter’s snores chasing them all the way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since some people asked me what day-to-day life was like in the House these next few chapters will cover that.
> 
> Also, I sat down and mapped it out yesterday. This story is cannon for all the CSI Lady Heather episodes through 07x23 "The good, the bad and the Dominatrix", and CM through 03x13 "Limelight". This means this will include The Fisher King, Lila Archer, Tobias Hankle, Gideon leaving and Rossi joining the team.
> 
> Also, this chapter is dated October 1999, this story goes off-cannon and ends in February 2008. This is going to be a long one people.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

Apparently to Jessica ‘civilian clothes’ meant looking like a college student.  Spencer didn’t mind, without make up, with her hair in a long braid down her back, and in a sundress and shorts she looked like the Jess he had chased around the neighborhood for years.  Like his old friend.  Except every so often she would move just so and take his breath away. 

They made it to the dining room before Jessica realized she’d forgotten something.  Unfortunately the dining room was just large enough, just busy enough to be confusing.  And he was a little nervous being alone still.  “I just need to run back to my office for a minute.”  She said.  “Where is....Luca, I have to run back to my office.  Help?  Right back.”  She said to Spencer, before heading down a different hallway.

“Sure.”  Luca almost looked like he was still in pajamas, with loose pants riding low on his hips, a sleeveless shirt and his feet bare.  “What do you want for breakfast?”  He asked Spencer.

“Um, I have no idea.”  There was no menu board or anything.

“Trust me?”

It was breakfast.  How weird could it be?  “Sure.”

Aha. At one end was a kitchen where someone was cooking.  There was also a table with the usual breakfast buffet stuff.  Luca dragged him to a window and waited for one of the cooks to come over for the order.  “Two of whatever Lord Pieter has down for me, and Mistress Jessica’s eggs.”  Luca said.  Order taken, he pulled Spencer over to the buffet.  “Coffee?”

“Please.”  It was hot and smelled like better quality.  But it needed sugar.  All coffee needed sugar.

Luca watched him spoon it in, having added just two spoons to his.  “Seriously?” 

“This is how I like my coffee.”  Ooo, and they had real cream too.

“And I thought I was a sugar addict.”  There were bowls for fruit salad, forks and knives and things.  Luca had him collect enough for him and Jess, a mug of tea and a bottle of maple syrup and nudged him over toward a long table.

“The brain does consume up to twenty percent of our daily caloric intake, and all of it in glucose.”  Spencer pointed out as they sat down.  The seating looked to be assigned.  But he had a place already assigned for him.  It made him feel even more at home.

“And what, big brains burn more?”  Luca said as he sat across from him.

“Up to double.”  He just needed to keep the fuel going in.

“Sorry!”  Jessica came back with a moderately full clipboard.  “Did you already order my eggs?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Luca replied. 

“Awesome.”  She sat next to Spencer and pulled over her tea.

“Did you know your boy here puts six spoons of sugar in his coffee?”

“Really?”  Jess turned to look at Spencer.  “Really?”  Spencer just shrugged in reply. 

“Speaking of, may I have another cup today?”  Luca asked.

“Why?”

“Why are you asking?”  Spencer asked.

 “Speaking of...”  Jessica turned to Spencer.

In reply Spencer clutched his mug closer.  “I’ll safeword.”  He replied.  “That’s a hard limit.”  For a long moment he sat there and stared her down as watched him in shock.  And Luca nearly fell under the table laughing.

“I saw that your breakfast was ready, Miss Jessica.”  Said a breathy, falsetto voice with a fake southern accent.  Spencer looked up to see a six foot tall man in a frilly French maids outfit carrying a tray of plates.  “I took the liberty to bring it over, along with the others.”

“Oh, thank you so much Betty.”  Jessica replied with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.  “Are we still on for Wednesday?”

The maid beamed.  “Of course Miss Jessica!  I am looking forward to being able to help.”  He started passing out breakfast plates.

“Excellent.  Thank you so much.”

“Is this yours?”  The maid indicated Spencer, and Jessica nodded.  “Oh he is adorable!  You lucky thing you!  And a doctor too, your grandfather must be so proud.”

“He is.”

“That’s just wonderful.  Well you have a good day Miss.”  The maid curtseyed and tottered off on six inch heels. 

“An appointment with one of the maids?”  Luca asked when the maid was out of earshot.  “For what?”

“Manicure and pedicure.  Once a week for the next month.”  Jessica gave him a pained smiled.  “Apparently I’m a bit of a catch.”

“Why?”  Luca asked.

“Good question.”  Spencer said.  “Why are you a catch?”

“Because I never let them fuss over me.”  Jessica replied.  “And because he’s one of the top five realtors in the Vegas metro area.  We have a house to sell.”

O-kay.  Spencer looked after his...realtor?  “Um, thank you?”

“You’re welcome, love.”   She dug in to her poached eggs on toast.

Spencer looked down at his plate.  Whole grain pancakes, scrambled eggs with some sort of cheese and a bit of sausage.  “Pieter’s kind of a health nut.”  Luca said, even as he poured syrup on his pancakes.

“More coffee because of the movie thing?”  Jessica asked.

“Movie thing?”  Spencer asked them both.

“There’s this guy who thinks that people would rather stream porn over the internet than go rent it in a video store.”  Luca replied.

“He has a point.”  Jessica added.  “Renting porn is not fun.”

“You...used to rent porn?”  Spencer asked.

“Yeah.  From that place over by the pharmacy.”

“It’s always the quiet ones.”  Luca said.  “Anyway, he’s got the tech, he needed the movie part, the talent and the studio.  So he talked Heather into trying it out.”  He smiled.  “Pieter’s gonna be a porn star.  But that means I got to spend all day getting everything ready and all night helping him out and I might not be able to catch a nap today.  Hell, I don’t even remember everything I have to do.”

Jessica passed him the clipboard.  “I made you a list and a schedule.  You won’t need coffee if you don’t get behind, you’ll have ample time to rest and have healthy meals and get it all done.”

Luca groaned as he looked at the clipboard.  “Has she always been like this?”  He asked Spencer.

Staying on task and on schedule was how the AACY people had taught them how to cope with being students and caregivers at the same time.  “Yeah.”  Spencer replied.  “We learned it together.”

“Groovy.”    

“Why does Pieter tell you what to eat?”

“I asked him to.  I used to live on coffee and candy, your basic 7-11 diet.  Which wasn’t that much worse than how my folks ate, you know, lots of processed crap.  Even before I left Dad was the size of a small land mass and was diabetic, and Mom’s not much better.  I don’t want to turn out like them but I didn’t know what was good or not, you know.  I never learned.  Pieter is built like a brick shithouse and is so healthy he makes doctor’s cry.  He knows what he’s doing so I asked him to figure it out for me.”

“Accountability is also a thing.”  Jess said. 

“True that.”  Luca replied with a grin.

“And he’s comfortable with that?”  Spencer asked.

Luca nodded.  “In my experience the more responsibility a Dom can take in the life of someone they love the happier they are.”

“Do you feel that way about me?”  Spencer asked Jess.

“No.”  She replied easily.  “We took the same life skills courses, remember?  I know you know how to take care of yourself.  And unlike Cimmaron was or UNLV would be Caltech is a very safe environment.  And Grandpa Sam is being well cared for at the AL facility.  Come to think of it,” She cradled her coffee mug and considered.  “All of my loved ones are perfectly safe and secure.”

“Maybe that’s why you’ve been acting weird lately.”  Luca said to her, “You need a sub who’s actually a sub.  No offence.”  He said to Spencer.

“None taken.”  Spencer looked over at Jess.  “You’ve been acting weird lately?”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.  And I don’t need another sub, one lover is enough for me.”  She replied, almost automatically.  Spencer looked at Luca who shook his head.  “I’m fine.”  She said again.  “Finish breakfast, we have to go clean out your Mom’s fridge.”

Spencer looked across the table and met Luca’s eyes.  As Homes would say, the mystery was afoot.

* * *

 

Saturday and Sunday were fairly normal for Spencer, as these things went.  Even though they were technically living/staying in a House of Domination they spent what little time they were there in the dorm section, so they didn’t actually see anything unusual.  After breakfast they went back to his mother’s house, which was already starting to feel like someplace not-home, cleaned and packed things that were fragile, or personal, or full of memories, or that he knew she would want right off.   They broke for lunch and dinner on Saturday and went to familiar neighborhood spots where people knew them and asked after Mom and Grandpa Sam.  They returned for movies in bed and cuddles and kisses, but nothing more.  Sunday they did the same, except they broke early, went back to clean up, pooled their budget and took Grandpa Sam out for a steak dinner.  Then they went back to meet his friends and cuddle Bear and Gigi for a while. 

Having Jess around made a difficult chore bearable.

By Sunday night they had the house in enough order for movers to come through.  They had also packed some things in his old Volvo to be taken back to his apartment and some things for her dorm room.  Much to their surprise, when they came back on Sunday night and found Lady Heather in the hall outside Jessica’s room.  “What’s going on?”  Jess asked.

“I took a liberty to give you a surprise.”  Heather replied.  “Not to worry, we moved the furniture as-is.  No one went through your private belongings.”

“Moved?  To where?”

“Across the hall from Pieter and Luca.”

“But those are parlor suites.”  Heather waited for the penny to drop.  After a moment it did.  Jessica took Spencer’s hand and pulled him down to another part of the complex.

Sure enough they had been moved into a two-room suite, three if you counted a larger bath.  The bedroom had been set up as she had left it, leaving only the tops of things to be re-set.  It also included another two wardrobes.  Her desk had been moved to the small parlor, along with her television, and a small couch, a reading chair and lots of empty bookshelves.  The furniture had been chosen with her, their, tastes in mind and the paint went with the colors she liked.  It was a perfect small apartment.  “Oh my god, thank you!”  Jessica gushed.  “I had no idea.”

“You need the space now.  And you’ve certainly earned the upgrade.”  Heather replied.  “Get yourselves set up, enjoy it.”  She said before heading out to work.

So they set that up.  Spencer decided to go back to his Mom’s house for a load of books.  “Okay, back to the question of clothing.  What am I bringing over?”  One of those new wardrobes was for him to leave things here, to make commuting easier.

“Really, you don’t need anything special.”  Jessica replied.  She looked in that third, smaller wardrobe, flushed, and closed the door.

“I am mindful of the discussion we had with Luca over breakfast yesterday.  I might not be enough of a submissive for you.”

“Spencer, you are more than enough of a submissive for me.  While I appreciate the thought you need to be happy, not change who you are for me.”  She went to start setting up her vanity top.  “I love you the way you are.”

He went and peeked in that smaller wardrobe.  It was shelved, with hooks on the inside of the doors, and mostly empty.  There was a bullwhip hanging from one of the hooks, and some other sort of whip with many thick tails and a heavy, braided handle.  On the shelf was a pump bottle of the sort that usually held lotion or liquid soap, a basket, and a box of nitrile gloves.  He peeked.  The basket was full of condoms.  Tool cabinet, he suddenly realized, with lots of space to add to her collection.  He swallowed and closed the door.  “Which is good to know, but I don’t want you miserable.  I’m willing to compromise here.” 

“But I don’t want to change you.”  Jessica groaned and rested her head in her hands.  “Why do I feel like we’re missing something?”

Spencer considered.  “We might well be lacking data.  You’ve lived here for over a year but you may not have ever looked at the lifestyle in the context of actually having me here more often.  And this is entirely outside of my experience.”

“You’re here all week, right?”

That she was forgetting details showed that her mental state was not what it should be.  “Two weeks.  I have an appointment with my lawyer, the realtor, and the movers and I want to be available should Dr. Norman call.”  He had taken the time off specifically to get this done.  He was just grateful he didn’t have to sleep on Aunt Ethel’s couch.

“Okay, when you’re not doing that how about if you shadow Luca and me.  That way you can see what it’s like to be a full-time submissive, what appeals and what doesn’t.”

“Observe and collect data.  I can do that.”  Spencer dug a fresh notebook out of his bag.  He would approach this from the point-of-view of the detached observer, record his observations and reactions, and then they could make decisions after.  “Ok, so given that, what will I need to follow you on your schedule for the next, oh, 24 hours?”

This was a question she could answer.  “Hmmm.  Do you have any gym clothes?”

“No.”  He opened to the first page and started making a list.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

Spencer was used to rising early.  He always had, the better to get a jump on the day before he had to get his Mom moving.  Jessica woke about the same time, sat up and stretched.  That always did interesting things under the tank top and shorts she wore to bed.  “You get first shot at the bathroom.”  She said as she did every morning.

He did what needed doing quickly and then gave it up to her.  He’d read a quote once that one of the captains of the USS Enterprise had taken comfort in the fact that even in the 24th century it took women longer to get ready.  It was a sort of continuity in the world.  While she was in there he got dressed himself, a jock strap, that device beloved of PE coaches everywhere, soft dark grey shorts that hung below his knees and a lighter grey t-shirt.  Gym shoes and socks completed everything.   Thank goodness Las Vegas was open late, they picked everything up last night.

He did not feel nearly dressed enough.  “Are you sure...”  He started to ask as he heard the bathroom door opening.  But then he stopped at the sight of a black bra top and really snug workout leggings.  Oh holy heavens, when did her body start looking like that?

“Yep.  That’s a good, neutral thing to wear to workout.  You’re fine.  Here.”  She pulled a grey hooded sweatshirt off the back of the door and handed it to him.  “You’ll want to take that off when we get there.”  She said as she pulled on her own rich purple one.

“Dahhhhh.....”

She smiled.  “Come on.”

In the hallway they met Luca coming out of his apartment across the hall.  Spencer was relieved to see that he was dressed what looked to be exactly the same way, except his socks matched and his hood was up.  “I hate mornings.”  He groused.  “Can I have coffee, please?”

“Not before working out.”  Jessica replied serenely.  “You both need to hydrate.  Come on.”

They went to the kitchen, which was mostly quiet at this hour, collected what tasted like thick milkshakes and full water bottles, and then headed to the gym.  It was thankfully empty.  She insisted he leave the sweatshirt at the door.  “It’s a bicycle.”  She said as he eyed the contraption in front of him.  “I know you know how to do this.”

“My bike doesn’t have a computer attached.”  He replied.  Hell, his bike didn’t have _gears_.  And this was taller.  It looked tippy.

“Here, sit.  Use that as a step.”  He got on the bike.  It didn’t tip.  “Okay, get off.”  She adjusted.  “Now sit.”  She'd fixed it so his legs fit.  She set the computer, adjusting this and that, telling him what she was doing as he did it.  “Okay, music.”  She offered him the player she’d insisted he buy, and headphones.  It was loaded with classical.  “Now pedal until I tell you to stop.”  Okay, he could manage that much. 

While he started she climbed on the bike next to him.  “Where’s Luca?”  He asked, having lost track.

“Over on the treadmill.”  She nodded.  He looked around to see Luca jogging in place, headphones on.  “I thought you’d prefer a familiar movement, those take a bit more balance.”

“Yes.  Thank you.”  Okay, pedal until she said to stop.

Stopping was 45 minutes later.  By then Spencer felt wrung out.  The computer had mimicked riding on a country road, including increasing resistance when he came to hills.  It hadn’t been impossible but he certainly felt like they’d been on a long ride.  He was also hot and well and truly sweaty.  “Now what?”  He asked as he slid off the bike and tried to get his legs under him.

“Now I’m going to go lift with the bouncers.”  Jessica said.  She was hot and sweaty as well, flushed and so very alive.  It looked good on her. Very good on her.

“The...”  Spencer swallowed.  While he’d been distracted on the bicycle the gym had quietly been populated by the kind of men that gave new meaning to the term intimidation.  They were all solid blocks of muscle, hard and defined.  And none of them had a shirt on.  Great.

“I don’t know that you have the kind of build for it, but if you want to try...”

“Not really.”  He had no desire to be humiliated in front of her.  He could feel their laughter already.

“They why don’t you go see what Luca does.  You two have a very similar build; whatever Pieter has him doing should also work for you.”

“Okay.”  Now where was Luca?  Oh good, over in a quiet corner away from the clanging weights and grunting.  Unfortunately when he got there Luca had peeled out of his shoes and socks, and was in the process of getting out of his own sweaty t-shirt.  Spencer swallowed.  “Um, Jess said I should come see what you’re doing.”

“Yoga.”  Luca grinned.  “I know, I know.  It helps to stay flexible.  Come on, I’ll show you.  No shoes on the mat.  You don’t want to catch your shirt either.”

And here it was.  All of a sudden he was being confronted by his greatest fear.  “No.”  He said quietly.

Thankfully Luca seemed to notice his sudden state.  “Why not?”  He asked gently.

“She’ll laugh.  Everyone will laugh.”

“No they won’t.”

“Yes.” 

“Nope.  I know this crew, all right.  I’ve lived here for three years now.  Sally Ann weighs over four hundred pounds, they don’t laugh at her doing yoga, and they’re not going to laugh at you.”

“I’ve been laughed at before.”

“By people in the community?”

Now that was a question Spencer had not anticipated.  This was a separate community, on the fringes of polite society, one that prided itself on acceptance.  He had not taken that data into account.  “Um, no.”

Luca smiled.  “You won’t know unless you try then.”

He had a point.  Spencer stared at him a long moment, put his back to the room, took a deep breath.  “Fuck.”  He whispered.  Then he pulled his shirt over his head, tightly shut his eyes and waited.

No one laughed.

After a long moment he opened his eyes and peeked in the mirrors surrounding him. 

No one even noticed.

Luca was looking at him, a gentle smile on his face.  “Yep, just as I thought.  You’re hot.”

“I am not.”

“Yeah.  In that fashion model kind of way.”

Spencer frowned.  “I don’t even know what that means.”

“Doesn’t matter.  Okay, start with this.”  He looked at his notebook and started getting in to position.

Of course just as he was starting to relax one of those giant muscle men walked in and walked right by them.  Spencer held his breath.  “’morning.”  The man said.

“’ morning.”  Luca replied.  “Okay, stand with your feet shoulder width apart...”

No one cared.  Really, no one cared.  Spencer was still trying to absorb this while he followed Luca in attempting to turn himself into a pretzel.  No one even noticed.

Well, someone noticed.  About the time he was trying to bend his leg in a way it did not want to go he heard a male voice.  “Jess?  Hey Jess!  Spot...spot...”

“Sorry!”  Jessica called out.

“Don’t mind her.”  Another male voice called out.  “She’s getting ready to cut diamonds.”

Luca choked back a laugh.

“Enough.”  Jessica snapped.

“I don’t know what it is with pro-doms.”  The second male voice continued, with no malice in his voice.  “They always go after the tall, skinny guys.”

“That’s ‘cause they’re more flexible.”  Another male said.  “Less of a taper on the limbs.”

“Yea.”  The first male said.  “But...”  There was a sharp snap.  “YEOWWWW” as the room broke out in laughter.

Spencer’s head swiveled.  One man was standing there, both hands cupping his buttocks like they were in pain.  Jessica was standing there, holding a towel tightly stretched between her hands.  “I _said_ enough!”  She said in this stern voice he had never heard before.

“Yes Mistress Jessica!”  The men said.  They went back to work, one of them rubbing the pain out of his backside.

Jess turned and smiled at him and Luca.  “Carry on gentlemen.”  She said in her usual gentle tone.

Unfortunately Luca was laughing too hard for them to continue for some time.

* * *

 

“I thought they would laugh.”  Spencer explained when they got back to their rooms.

“And that’s what’s been bothering you all this time?”  Jessica asked gently.

“Um...not entirely.  But that is part of it.”  In the end she was still his best friend, the one who had always held all of his secrets with such care.  “I was afraid you would laugh.”  He admitted quietly.  “I was afraid you would come to your senses and never want to see me again.”

Jessica considered this.  “Not what I was thinking when I saw you.”

“Then what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking...”  She walked over to him, stepping right up against him, and put her arms around his waist, slipping her hands under his shirt.  Unlike nearly eighteen months ago this time he did not panic.  This time her touch on the small of his back felt magical.  “...of how I might get out of work today.”

Not what he was expecting.  “Why would you want to get out of work today?”  He asked as his hands settled on her waist. 

In reply she kissed him.

For a long moment he drowned in that kiss.  He hadn’t realized her skin would be that warm, or that soft, or that she would feel that alive in his arms.  Everything primal in his brain seemed to take over and start howling, urging him to some action he did not understand.

Except something else was not reacting as it should.  He had a beautiful, half naked woman in his arms, one who clearly wanted him, and he was just not rising to the occasion.  Likely because she had class and he had to meet with the family lawyer and she had to work and....  “Not yet.”  He murmured against her lips.  Just what he needed, another hurdle to climb.

He felt her slight shudder but she did not press.  “All right.”  She murmured back.  “When you’re ready.”  She kissed him again, lightly.  “I get first shower.”

He had no clue what to do about this one.  The least he could do was give her the majority of the hot water.  “Deal.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

After showers Jessica told him to dress however he wanted for the majority of the day.  “I wear civilian clothes until I get back from class at three.”  She said. 

Civilian clothes meant she once again looked like a college student.  “What about after?”  He asked.

“I change into work clothes.  I train with Pieter and sometimes Heather from three to six most days.  We’re out in the main building then where there might be clients around.  It’s better if I look older than nineteen.   If I looked my real age I’d never be rid of them.  And Lady Heather likes to present a certain image.”

“What about me?  I mean, what would be appropriate?”

Jessica considered him, and then took a look in his wardrobe.  “Your white shirt, grey pants and usual shoes should be fine.”  She said.  “Um, not the tie or the undershirt.”

“That’s all?”  Given what he had already seen, however little, he had expected something more...esoteric.

“Yeah, that should work.”

He could do that.  “All right.”

Once again Luca joined them at breakfast.  He too looked like your average undergrad.  After breakfast they all landed in Jess’s office for a few hours.  There was a long work table on one side, Luca commandeered one end for homework, and whatever work he had to do for the house.  Spencer took over the other, he had some paperwork to finish up for the meeting with the lawyer that day and he had brought along some research for his dissertation.  It was a pleasant space for it, and the company was good.

At least he thought it was good.  “Jesus she’s snappy today.”  Luca said after Jessica stepped out of the office on some errand or other. 

“Really?”  Spencer had been lost in what he was reading, he hadn’t been paying attention. 

 “She wasn’t like that this morning.  Did you two have a fight or something?”

Had they?  “Um, no.  I don’t think so.”

“Sure?”

“No, we just...ummm...”

“Please tell me that ummm meant that sex was involved.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Ah.”  Luca nodded.  “That’s the problem.”  He got up and headed for the door.

“What are you doing?”  Spencer asked.

“Getting my ass beat.”  Luca walked out the door.

Spencer decided he didn’t need to assist his friend in that endeavor and stayed put.  A few minutes later Jessica returned with a tote of mail.  “Where did Luca go?”  She asked.

“He said he was going to, quote, get his ass beat.”  Spencer replied.  “Unquote.”

Jessica sighed.  “Oh god, what now?”  She turned and walked out again.

A few minutes later Luca came back carrying a plastic shoebox.  He left it in the middle of Jessica’s desk, held a finger to his lips, and left again.

A few moments later Jessica returned.  “What’s this?”

“Luca left it.”  Spencer replied.

Jessica opened the lid, looked, snapped it back on, and stormed out of her office “LUCA!!!!”  She screamed as she headed out to find him.

Spencer sat there for a minute, then his curiosity got the better of him.  He got up and looked in the box.  Inside, lying on some kind of cloth, lay a clear, pink, plastic penis.  Complete with testicles.  And some kind of buttons, when he touched the one marked power it began to vibrate strongly.

Not what he was expecting.

He wasn’t certain what to do about the thing, except stand there staring at it as it buzzed away in the box.  A few minutes later Jessica came back, saw what he was doing, met his eyes, and slowly flushed bright red.  He didn’t know what to say, but after a minute he poked the power button again and turned it off.  For a long moment they stared at each other.

A moment later a very disgruntled Lady Heather walked in, slowly dragging Luca by the ear.  “What is all the commotion about?”  She asked, patience heavy in her voice.  “Why was Luca hiding under my tea table?  And why is there a vibrator on your desk?”

“Girlfriend...Ow!”  Luca winced as Heather gave his ear a shake.  “Sorry!  Mistress Jessica has been in a bad mood for weeks if not months, worse today, and I finally figured out why.  Thought, you know....”

“Uh huh.  I will be informing Lord Pieter of this, and I will suggest strongly that he spank you for being a brat.  Mistress Jessica, are you still willing to escort him to school today?”

“Of course.”  Jessica replied.

“Thank you.  For now, Luca, you may leave.”  Heather gave him a none too gentle shove to get him out the door.  But when he looked back he winked at Spencer and smiled.  Apparently his mission was accomplished.

“You know he’ll just enjoy that.”  Jessica murmured after the door closed.

“I doubt it.”  Heather replied.

All of a sudden Spencer’s brain flashed him the answer.  “I didn’t think women were capable of epididymal hypertension.”  He said.  They shouldn’t be, their anatomy wasn’t right for it.

Jessica collapsed in her chair, groaned, and buried her face in her hands.

“Technically they’re not.”  Heather replied.  “But they can still experience sexual frustration due to arousal without orgasm.  It’s a more diffuse sensation, and tends to build over time.  Are you two having a problem?”

“No.”  Jessica replied.

“Yes.”  Spencer replied at the same time.

“We’re fine!”  Jessica insisted.

“No, we’re not.”  Spencer replied.  But then another thought occurred to him.  “Are you objecting to having this discussion with your boss?”

“No.  I suspect she’s objecting on other grounds.”  Heather replied.  “Because she’s one of the few here who knows what I do with my spare time.  I trust I can take you into my confidence as well?”

“Of course.”  Spencer asked. 

“I’m in the psychology program at Stanford.”

“Masters?”

“PhD.”

“Really?”  That was a tough program, now Spencer was impressed.

“Yes.  Unfortunately I can’t work on it full time.  Obvious reasons.”

“Understandable.”  She had a business to run, school would have to take second place to that.  But still.  “What’s your specialty?”

“Sexual dysfunction, including paraphillias.”

Perfect.  Also, not surprising.  “Would you be willing to help?”

“Would you be willing to look over my dissertation, assuming I ever get it finished?”

“Of course.”

Heather smiled.  “Let’s go do this in my parlor.  It’s more private and we can have tea.”

“You’re supposed to be asleep!”  Jessica insisted. 

“I can sleep later.  You two need my help now.”

* * *

 

She brought Jessica in first.  “I’m fine.”  Jessica insisted as she sat down.

“No, you’re not.”  Heather replied.  “You’re becoming more short tempered and irritable.  People have begun to notice.  Right now they’re concerned.  You need to deal with this before concern becomes complaints.  When was the last time you had intercourse?”  Jessica was quiet.  “Please tell me the last time wasn’t with those three boys you brought here.”

“No.”  Jessica replied.  “They’re gay.  Well, Troy might be bi, he's not certain.”

“So you...”  Heather had to stop for a moment.  “Are you still a virgin?”

“I’m waiting for Spencer.”  Jessica replied simply.  “It’s merely a question of discipline.”

Heather blinked at her a moment.  “Are you telling me that as a straight woman you’ve spent the past eighteen months surrounded by extremely attractive men, taken them into bondage, brought then to orgasm, and never once shared in the experience?”

“Like I said, I’m waiting for Spencer.”

Heather sighed.  “Well, Luca was spot on with his diagnosis.  If he was healthy and actively interested what would you do?”

“If he was we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”  Jessica replied.  “I’d be in our room climbing him like a tree.”  Okay, maybe she was a little frustrated. 

Heather asked a few more question, but in the end she sighed.  “You’re perfectly fine, perfectly healthy.”  She said.  “Just sexually frustrated.”

“I know.”  Admitting it was hard.  She wanted to wait for Spencer.  She was going to wait for Spencer, damn it!

“On our way here you took him aside and asked him something.  Did it pertain?”

“Yes.”  Jessica sighed.  “He was assaulted when he was younger.  He still can’t talk about it directly.  I suspect with his eidetic memory discussing it in depth replays the incident for him.”

“Do you know what happened?”  Heather asked.

It was even hard for her to talk about it.  “He called our house one night, wanting to talk to Grandpa Sam.  He sounded upset but he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong, only that his mom was having one of her bad spells.  Grandpa Sam had a bad day that day, he’d taken some Xanax and gone to bed, and Mom was out.  This was back before she married Arturo.  So there were no adults around to help.  I found out later that something happened with some of the kids at school, he was in high school at the time.  They tied him up, stripped him down and I believe at least attempted rape.”

“Oh damn it.”  Heather sighed.

“This morning was the first time he was even able to take his shirt off in front of people since then.  He was terrified that I was going to take one look at him and either run or drive him off in disgust.”

“Just the opposite?” 

“Oh yeah.”  Jessica smiled.  “You know he’s built like a model, all long and lean and tight.  He’s very...”

“Pretty.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Well, that explains your spike in frustration today.  How old was he when it happened?’

“Ten, if I remember correctly.  Eleven at most.”

“Okay.  I might know what’s going on.  You are going to be fine.  I’ll find some asses you can take your frustration out on later.  Send your knight in.”

* * *

 

Spencer was a little nervous, maybe more than a little, but he sat on Heather’s couch and they talked about what seemed like nothing much until he relaxed a bit.  Then she got to the heart of it.  “Jessica told me that something happened when you were in high school.”  Heather said.  “But she said you’re unable to talk about it.”

“No, I...no.”  He didn’t want to think about it.  If he didn’t he wouldn’t have to replay that awful, awful memory.

“You should, you know.  At some point, when you’re ready.  And with someone better qualified to deal with trauma than I am.  But there’s no reason not to live a good and enjoyable life between now and when you’re ready to confront that, I think right now we need to focus on the immediate issue.  What happened this morning?”

This morning.  Spencer thought back to just a few hours ago.  “Jess is beautiful.”  He said.  “I mean, she’s been my best friend forever, and I love her but this morning...I’d never seen her in workout clothes before and she was just so....”

“Beautiful?”  Heather supplied.  “Attractive?  Tempting?  Arousing?”

“Yes.”  He replied.  “Yes.  Yes...No.”

“Oh.”

His frustration came pouring out.  He couldn’t sit still, he got up and started pacing.  “I mean here is this gorgeous woman who knows me, who knows how geeky I can be and who got a good look and didn’t reject me like everyone else.  Not only that but she _wants_ me and she was _right there_ and I just couldn’t...rise to the occasion.  What kind of a broken freak am I that the girl of my dreams is standing there, practically throwing herself at me and I can’t get the job done?”

“A broken freak among broken freaks?”  Heather responded, calm in the face of his storm.  “You are not a freak though, and I seriously doubt you are all that broken.  What are your plans for the week?  No, stop.”  She held a hand up before he could reply.   “You have a notebook there...”

“Yeah.  I was going to observe this week, shadow Jess and Luca to learn what I could about this lifestyle before I settled in to anything.”

“Good.  Good.  But not just Jessica and Luca, I’ll set it up so you shadow others as well.  I have homework.”  She went and called Jessica in as well.  “I have homework for yours, if that’s acceptable.  All written.”

“Of course.”  Jessica replied.

“Good.”  Heather turned back to Spencer.  “I want your observations to include not only what you see but your thoughts and reactions as well.  I also want a schedule from you for the time you’re here, including any appointments or tasks from outside the house and a list of any work you brought with you to complete.  And I want a schedule for an average day from when you were ten.  I’d like one from you from when you were about that age as well, Jessica.”  Jess and Spencer both agreed to this.  “Good.  For tonight follow Jessica and Luca, tomorrow I’ll speak to you after tea, collect your notes to date and give you your next assignment.  In the meantime you two should sleep in separate beds.”  Neither of them liked that idea.  “Just trust me on this one.  Now shoo, I’ll see you both at tea.  And do not worry, this can be dealt with.”

* * *

 

 

Jessica and Spencer stood in the hallway looking at the closed door for a long moment.  Then they both looked at their watches.  “I have to get to class.”  Jess said.

“And I have to go meet with the lawyer.”  Spencer replied.

They started heading back down.  “I’m sorry.”  Jess said after a long moment.

“About what?”

“I didn’t want to put any pressure on you.”

“About what?”

“Sex.”  She stopped and looked at him.  “I love you, you know.  And I happen to want you like crazy.”

“That’s actually good to know.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In CSI 09x05 "Leave Out All The Rest" we learn that Lady Heather has received her doctorate and become a practicing sex therapist. Given that she was working on her degree while running a a fairly large business and being a part-time mother I figured it would have easily taken her many years to complete her degree.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

Spencer met with the lawyer.  He met with the insurance person at Bennington.  He met with Dr. Norman.  He went back to the house and packed up more books.  And in-between it all he filled out some of the homework for Lady Heather.  After a text to her he started keeping a 0-10 scale, where zero meant that sex was the furthest thing from his mind and ten meant about to lose his mind from need.  Up until he returned to the house his entire day was at a firm zero.

He returned to the house about the same time that Jess and Luca did.  Seeing her coming back from class, hot from the day and a little worn out, pulled him up to a one.  He was doing just so well there.

But after she had her shower, when he returned to the bedroom to wait for her, he managed to get it up to at least a four.  While Jess the college student was cute and Jessie his friend was entirely loveable Jessica the Dominatrix was attention grabbing.  He sat there as she leaned over her vanity, fixing her make-up, and had to admire her body.  Why wasn’t he reacting?  Any normal man would surely be reacting right now, would be trying to get her into bed with him.  Perhaps even more knowing she would go.  What was wrong with him?

“Stop fretting.”  She said, meeting his eyes in the mirror.  “It’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so.” 

“It will be.  Here.”  She came over to him then.  He had his collar and cuffs buttoned, as he usually did for work.  She unbuttoned his cuffs and fussed over him rolling them to just below the elbow, and then she started unbuttoning his shirt.  “Not all the way.”  She said, opening only the first two buttons.  Then she leaned over him and adjusted the chain around his neck so the small tag rested in the hollow of his throat.  When she did that her breasts were right there, so close he could catch her soft floral scent, feel the warmth coming off her skin.  He could pull her in and explore with his hands and his lips and she would welcome him.  Why wasn’t he reacting?  Why?

“There.”  She said.  “You’re prefect.  Come on.”  She led him back out into the hallway.

“What happens now?”

“Tea.”  She replied.  “Which is breakfast for the night shift people, which means everyone is in the dining hall, so it’s the best time for the daily staff meeting.”

Back in the dining hall they collected tea and snacks and went to their assigned seats.  Luca was already there, a cup of coffee and plate of breakfast in front of the seat next to him.  Not two minutes later big, blond Pieter made his appearance.  “Morning meisie.”  He said to Jessica.  “Morning mine, morning Spencer.  Good morning Lady.”  He raised his mug to Lady Heather when she appeared.

“Good morning everyone.”  Somehow Heather looked flawless, despite her sleep being ruined by their crisis.

The meeting happened.  Reports were taken, assignments given, the general business of the day discussed.  Despite being surrounded by men and women in various forms of fetish dress Spencer wasn’t making it past a one on that arousal scale.  His friends at college daydreamed about places like this, but it was all just intellectual curiosity for him.

“Now what?”  He asked Jess as the meeting broke up,

“Now I train with Pieter here until six today, then dinner, homework and either reading or TV until I pass out.”  She replied.  She looked over at Pieter.  “What are we doing today?”

“Putting my boy here in a hip harness and suspending him.”  Pieter replied.  Luca grew a huge grin.  “Meet us in room 6.  Stop in the storeroom on the way in, get samples of rope so your boy there can feel the difference.  Might as well let him learn from it too.”

“Oh fun.”  Jessica smiled.

Spencer blinked.  This ought to be interesting.

* * *

 

As it turned out room #6 was that bright, sunny room from the pictures.  He hadn’t realized that they could spread out safety mats on the floor, or that it would be warm enough to strip out of clothing and be comfortable.  But it was good that it was, because once the mats were down Luca stripped down to what could only be a g-string. 

Thankfully this answered another question.  Spencer liked Luca, considered him a close friend at this point.  Part of him had worried that he hadn’t responded to a beautiful woman in his arms because he’d prefer a beautiful boy, but seeing one that was very attractive and that he was quite fond of didn’t push him past a two...maybe a three.  Maybe a little more?  Maybe he should write that down.

When he looked up again Jessica was wrapping Luca’s wrist in thick, black rope.

For a moment Spencer couldn’t breathe.  For a moment he wasn’t in this room, in this time or this place.  For a moment the desert sun was hot and there was the smell of freshly mowed grass and he could feel rope being tightened around his wrists as his pants were being pulled down....

I was not responsible, he thought.

He blinked and he was back here. 

Spencer shifted slightly and gasped when he realized he was hard as a rock. 

And his body didn’t let up either.  Not as they tied ropes to Luca’s wrists and ankles, not as they wrapped his upper chest, and hips in layers, not as they twisted those layers off into thick, study handles that would support the weight of his body, not as they had him sit and tied all the ends to a ring that dropped from a ceiling pulley.  When Pieter hauled on the other end of the pulley and pulled Luca three feet into the air, like he was sitting in a hammock swing with his hands and feet up, Spencer swore to god he was going to explore from the pressure in his groin.  He ached with wanting something, anything, _that_ , right now.

“I still don’t see why you can’t tie one between my elbows.”  Luca was saying.  “It would make a nice headrest.”

“Can’t.”  Jessica replied.  “You have nerves in there.  Could cause a nasty pinch.”

“Could add a humbler.”  Pieter said in a teasing tone.  “Nicely done meisie.  You got the side ropes tight enough this time.  You going to come take a look?”  He asked Spencer.

“Um, I think I’m close enough, thanks.”  Spencer managed to reply.  If he got up now his current state would be obvious.  He noted that too.

His state was not helped when Jess came and sat on the floor beside him.  “Most of the time we use nylon rope.”  She said, passing him a small hank.  “Because it’s washable and we can treat it with Envirocide, which kills off just about anything.  For the movie shoots we use jute because it holds better for longer term applications and they have to be in some of those harnesses all day.”  This was natural brown and rough.  “But this is what Pieter uses for Luca.”  She passed over the third, thick and black and oh so soft.  Being wrapped in that would be like a giant hug all over your body.  “Chinese silk, spun and dyed in Italy.  That is gorgeous stuff to tie.”

“Nothing but the best for mine.”  Pieter said, ruffling Luca’s hair as the younger man laughed.

“That’s...impressive.”  Spencer replied.  He could just imagine being wrapped in yards and yards of thick silk rope.  He wouldn’t be responsible for anything then.

“Are you all right?”  Jessica asked him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

* * *

 

“What if I’m gay?”  Spencer asked Heather when he met with her before tea the next day.  What if that was why he reacted like he did to the sight of Luca being tied up.  “I can’t say I’ve ever really explored the question.”

“Well, it would certainly alter your relationship, although it might not end it.”  Heather replied.  She pulled a stack of questionnaires off her desk.  “No better time than the present to look at that.  I’ll have you shadow Pieter tonight.  If you’re gay one of his men will catch your interest.”

“How can you be sure?”

Heather smiled.  “Have you seen his boys?”

* * *

 

Later that night Spencer had to admit, those were some amazing looking men.  He saw more washboard abs than he thought possible, more impressively tight and hard bodies.  And all of them happy and strong and proud.  But none of them got him past a two.

Until the ropes came out.

* * *

 

“Okay, tonight let’s try women.”  Heather said the next day.  “I’ll have you shadow Pris, she works with our female subs and switches.  Just remember to call her Mistress Priscilla and be very polite.”

“I can do that.”  Spencer replied.

* * *

 

For the first time in his life Spencer spent the night surrounded by naked and mostly naked women.  While the men in the house were amazing women were a wonder. They were all so soft and curvy and kind of giggly somehow.   And they were also so happy and proud, but in an entirely different way.  He made it all the way up to a five, to the point of being just slightly uncomfortable and very aware of his body’s reaction, just from being around them.

Until the ropes came out.

* * *

 

“Paraphilic disorder.”  He moaned to Heather a few days later.  “I’ve become some sick pervert and I don’t even know why.”

“A paraphilia is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, or individuals.”   Heather replied.  “We do see a great deal of that here.  You know, they are still debating if it should even be classified as a mental illness.  It depends on intensity.  Clinicians distinguish between optional, preferred and exclusive paraphilias though the terminology is not completely standardized. An "optional" paraphilia is an alternative route to sexual arousal. For example, a man with otherwise unremarkable sexual interests might in some cases seek or enhance sexual arousal by wearing women's underwear. In preferred paraphilias, a person prefers the paraphilia to conventional sexual activities, but also engages in conventional sexual activities.  Neither level would cross all the way into a disorder.  It’s only when it becomes the only route to satisfaction does it become an actual disorder.  I don’t think you have a disorder.”

“Then why can’t I get this to work?”

“Tomorrow, when I have more time, we’ll sit down with Mistress Jessica and I’ll tell you.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

“I’ll be honest.”  Heather said as she poured the tea.  “It took me a while to put the pieces together.  It’s not something we usually see in men your age.”

“Great.  It’s something biological, isn’t it?”  Just what Spencer did not want to hear.  “Maybe my diet is that bad, coronary artery disease can cause erectile dysfunction in adult...”

“Stress.”  Heather said.

That stopped him.  “What?”

“It’s stress.  Spencer, most men your age are worried about passing classes and chasing girls, and not in that order.  Maybe sports or video games or making gas and liquor money comes in third, but it’s a distant third.  They’re not working full time as an adjutant professor at one of the top research institutions in the country, pursuing a graduate degree, living on their own, trying to make the bills and tuition and caring for a sick, near elderly parent.  By the time most men have all of those responsibilities they’re in their fifties and knocking on my door asking the same questions you are.  And you are coming up just behind him.”  She said to Jessica.

“Stress?”  She asked Heather.

“Stress.”  Heather replied firmly.  “And it’s not just you two either.  I ended up finding some answers from a source I haven’t used before.”  She plucked a report from her desk and handed it to Spencer.

It only took him a moment to see what she meant.  “The American Association of Caregiving Youth did a study on this?”

“In conjunction with their British counterpart.  Apparently having to act as a caregiver through the pre-teen and teen years has a negative effect on proper psycho-sexual development, due to added stress.  It’s not at all unusual in young people who grew up the way you two did.  The only difference being that most have their stress levels eased in college, more resources open up, there’s more time to spend with a peer group.  You two haven’t had that, taking age into account you still chart very high for chronic stress.”

“This shouldn’t surprise me.”  Jessica said.  “I don’t feel particularly stressed though.”

“That’s because you’re so used to it by now.  Are you two familiar with the concept of lovemaps?”  Heather asked.

“A lovemap is a person's internal blueprint for their ideal erotic situations. The concept was originated by sexologist John Money in his discussions of how people develop their sexual preferences. Money defined it as "a developmental representation or template in the mind and in the brain depicting the idealized lover and the idealized program of sexual and erotic activity projected in imagery or actually engaged in with that lover.”  Spencer replied.

“Exactly.  Growing up the way you did influenced your inherent lovemaps, but not the way you think.  According to Money paraphilias develop as a result of abuse between the ages of five and eight.  You both became caregivers at that time, so that did influence your lovemaps, but you weren’t abused until later so the abuse did not.  From what I can tell you two haven’t developed paraphiliac desires as a result of trauma, but rather coping mechanisms that resemble paraphilias to deal with the added stress of being victimized.”

A coping mechanism.  Spencer sat back and looked at Jess, who’s eyes reflected the same wary hope he was feeling.  A coping mechanism wasn’t something that would last forever, was it?  It could be overcome with work and patience.  “So we have to...change our lives?”  Jessica asked.

“That’s one way to go about it.  You can quit your job, move into the dorms, find some way to pay for tuition if you can’t get loans.  And Spencer you can quit your job, turn care of your mother over to your Aunt Ethel, drop the grad work and take up another undergrad degree.  That will eliminate the excessive stress end of the equation.”

“That’s not going to happen.”  Spencer said.  Not a chance, for any of it.  

“Yeah, no.”  Jess agreed.

“Understandable.  Then you can spend the next, oh, three to five years working through your issues without changing your lives.  That would eliminate the traumatic part of the equation.  Which you should work on anyway.”

“Three to five years?”  Jess asked.

“Please tell me there’s another option.”  Spencer said.

Heather smiled.  “The other option is to just accept that for now you each have a way of coping that resembles a paraphilia and work with it.  Find a way to compromise to get your needs met.  Outside of the bedroom you have a very strong relationship based in friendship, that’s usually a hallmark for a strong partnership going forward, you are both excellent at communicating with each other and it appears that your coping mechanisms are complimentary.  There’s no reason why you can’t make this work.  You just have to accept that growing up the way you did left you a little off.  Eventually your lives will change and you won’t need the coping mechanism anymore.  When that happens I suspect the pseudo-paraphiliac needs will go away naturally, or at least lessen in intensity to become an optional route to pleasure instead of a conditional one.”

“So you’re saying work with it now, eventually we’ll grow out of it?”  Jessica asked.

“Yes.”  Heather replied.

That was a relief.  They both sighed and looked at each other.  “So what do we do?”  Spencer asked.  Unconsciously he settled and crossed his legs under him, his tea cupped in his hands.  Jessica did the same.  Anyone who had known them back when would note that they had sat just like that back in the support group where they first met.

Heather smiled.  “Jessica, I’m going to start with you.  I know you didn’t go there with Troy because he identifies as gay but from observing you two together I know you found him attractive. First thing off the top of your head.  What was so special about Troy?”

 “He didn’t need me.”  Jess replied.

“Oh?  He needed you for the scene.”

“Yea, but not out of it.  Not like Chad and Bobby needed him.  Troy was confident; he totally had his life together.  It was just in the scene that he let me take control so we could play.”

“So you find confident men who have their life together attractive?”

“Yes.”

“So why not just go for someone like him outside of the lifestyle?  There had to be confident young men at Meadows.”

“Because it wasn’t fun until I had control.  Until I knew he wasn’t going to go apeshit weird ass like the people at home did.”  Her eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her mouth.  “Sorry.”

“That’s all right.  I’ll forgive the profanity in here.”  Heather smiled.  “So, when did you start falling for this one here?”

“Um...”  Jess blushed harder.  “About the time he was accepted to CalTech, honestly.   That really was entirely awesome.”  She said to Spencer.

“You never said anything.”  He replied.

“You were just a kid.  Crazy mature for your age, but still.” 

“Good point.”

“When did you stop trusting others unless you were in control?”  Heather asked.

Jess stopped for a minute.  “After Mom married Arturo.”  She replied.  “When we moved into the Habitrail, and everything went crazy.”

“I suspect you’re about to say that her lovemap indicates a desire for a lover who is in control of himself, neither needing her to dominate him or submit to him, but her subsequent pseudo-paraphilia indicates a need for control in order to relax and trust the situation.”  Spencer said.

“Exactly right.”  Heather replied.  “Eventually you’ll learn to trust those around you again, but I suspect you’ll always prefer confident, self-contained men.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that.”  Jess said.

“Neither do I.  But for now you need to be the one in control so you can relax and allow yourself to play.”  Heather turned to Spencer.  “Your turn.”  He winced a little.  “First off, you’re not gay.  You rate a four on the Kinsey scale, meaning you’re not technically bisexual but you might be close.”

“But...”  Uhh, some of the guys out there...

Heather smiled.  “Just because you appreciate art doesn’t mean you want to do anything to it.  You may appreciate more than other men, doesn’t mean you’d prefer a boyfriend, although don’t be surprised if you want to experiment at some point.”

Good point.  “I can see that.”  Spencer said.

“But given the way you respond to women I would call you heteroflexible.  Also panromantic and a non-dominant personality if that helps.”

“Panromantic?”

“Yes.  You tend to love and care about people, regardless of gender or genitalia.  As opposed to Jessica over here who rates a one on the Kisney scale, is both heterosexual and heteroromantic, and is definitely a dominant personality.  To borrow a phrase, Spencer, you are a lover not a fighter.  And regardless of what society says about young men that is not a bad thing to be.  You’re also not truly submissive.”

“Great.”  What was that going to mean when it came to him and...wait.  He turned to Jess.  “Do you really want a submissive?”

“I don’t know.”  She replied.  “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“We can work with this, trust me.”  Heather said.  “So, why did you first have a crush on Jessica here?”

“Because she was pretty.”  Spencer thought.  It wasn’t hard to remember being ten and walking into group the first time and meeting this pretty girl with the big eyes who lived just down the block.  “And she had this confidence, like she had everything together.  She was kind of amazing.”  He thought about it a moment.  “You’re about to say we have similar lovemaps, we’re both looking for lovers who are competent equals who won’t add to our stress levels.”

“Very good Dr. Reid.  In fact you two imprinted on each other.  Now tell , what made you first think you had to be responsible for everything, for the house, your mother, excelling at school like you did...?”

Spencer considered.  “My Dad.  Well, both my parents really, but mostly Dad.  After we moved to Summerlin he used to tell me over and over that I had to be there for Mom while he was at work, I couldn’t go out to play unless I knew she was stable and didn’t need anything first.  And I had to do the best I could in school so I could get a good job and take care of her when she got older.”  He was quiet a long moment.  “Before he left he said it was all up to me now, I had to be the man of the house.  And Mom kept calling him weak, too weak to be responsible.  I told her I wasn’t weak.  That made her so happy.”

“Was there ever a point where you prevented from doing that?”

He felt his face turning red.  “Once.”  He admitted.  “That was the one time I could have honestly said to my Dad I _couldn’t_ be there for Mom.”

“The incident we’re not talking about?”  He nodded.  Heather continued.  “I know it’s hard to understand and harder to admit but our bodies are wired to respond to certain sensations with arousal, even when it’s an unwanted situation.  Given your age I assume that was the first and likely last time things got that far?”  Spencer swallowed and nodded again.  “I suspect you may have imprinted a minor paraphilia that day, a physical trigger to both the realization that you were not responsible for anything at that moment and to the physical sensation of arousal.  Your brain conflated being able to honestly tell your Dad you couldn’t prioritize school and your Mother’s care, that you were not responsible for not being there, with both the physical sensation of arousal and another physical sensation, likely because you were under duress.  We tend to imprint very hard at those times, especially when we’re young.”

“So you’re saying it’s not that I subconsciously don’t want to be responsible for my own sexuality, it’s more that I can’t relax and allow myself to be sexual while I’m actively responsible for my Mother’s care?”  Spencer asked.

“Primarily.”  Heather replied.  “That was the only time you weren’t and could not have been responsible for her until now.  She has only been in Bennington for a week.”

“Okay, so if we recreate the trigger he should be fine?”  Jess asked.

Heather nodded.  “Yes.  That will cause his subconscious to relax and allow for arousal.  And you being in control should do the same for you.  After that I suspect you two will be rather boringly vanilla in bed.  Eventually you will both grow out of it as you said, you won’t need that sense of control and he won’t need the trigger.  For all we know he might only need it for a few weeks.  I suspect yours will last longer because your abuse lasted longer and was more pervasive.”

“I’m okay with boringly vanilla.”  Spencer said.

“I am too.”  Jess replied.  “Most of the time.”

“You’re wondering why it feels so good to get your whip out, aren’t you?”  Heather asked.  Jessica blushed even harder and nodded.  “Do you actually get turned on by it?  Do you want to turn around and immediately seek orgasm?”

“No.”  Jess replied.  “Maybe.  I don’t know.  It just...it clears your head.  It reduces your frustration level, you’re entirely in the moment when you do that.  And sometimes after it just...”

“That’s call stress relief.  Some people meditate, some exercise, you tan asses.  As long as the owners of the asses are happy there’s no reason not to have that outlet.  Then the same thing, once the stress is off and you relax it’s easier to become aroused.  Add in that much of the time you're in control, which is signaling that you can relax and 'play' and some very attractive men out there willing to do whatever you want.  That's why I was so surprised to find out that you had resisted temptation, that's impressive self-control.”  Heather said.  Jessica blushed under the praise.  “So, homework.”  She picked up a folded piece of paper and handed it to Jess.  “Jessica, you are off for the day, I’ll have dinner trays brought to your parlor.  Go back to your room and follow directions.  Take those with you.”  She waved her hand at a pile of boxes in the corner.

“That’s it?”  Spencer asked.

“It should be.”  Heather replied.  “If it isn’t let me know in the morning and we’ll try again.”  Jess had gotten up to look at the boxes.  Spencer heard her gasp and turned to see her looking at Heather, her eyes wide.  Heather laughed.  “Call it an early Christmas present.  Now go on, and have fun.”

Jess took the paper, they gathered the boxes, and left, hoping she was right all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra chapter today to hopefully explain a few things. 
> 
> Unfortunately I'm going to have to slow down my publishing rate. Due to some positive new changes in my life I only have time to write about 6-800 words a day, instead of the 12-1500 I've been writing. So expect a new chapter every 2-3 days until I can catch up.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

“Are you as nervous as I am?”  Spencer asked when they got back to their rooms.

“Maybe.”  Jess replied.  “But I suspect this isn’t going to be that hard.”  She dropped the large shipping box she was carrying in the corner of the bedroom and started reading the paper.

“What did she give you anyway?”  Spencer had been carrying two large, empty bins of the sort meant to sit on a shelf.

“I’m not supposed to tell you.”  She replied.  “I’m supposed to surprise you.”

“Great.”  He sighed.  “So what are we supposed to do?”

“Well, first off you’re supposed to get a shower and put on something loose and comfortable while I put all this away.”

“All right.”  He could do that much.  He gathered his pajamas, intending to head for the bath.

“You’ll want short sleeves.”

“Undershirt?”

“That would do.”

"All right."  He took his pajama bottoms and a clean undershirt and headed in to the shower.

When he came out the box had been folded up and put by the door for disposal and the bins were nowhere to be seen.  “Who were you talking to?”  He asked, having heard voices while he was in there.

“Grandpa Sam.  He’s fine, by the way, he’s having dinner with Mrs. Samuels tonight and then they’re going to see a movie in the parlor.  And Bear and Gigi are asleep in his recliner.  Also Pieter is covering for me tonight, and he and Luca are just fine.”

“So you don’t have anyone to worry about?” 

“Nope.  I assume you have everything done for school and work?”

“Yes.”  There was nothing pressing for at least a week.

“And your mom’s affairs are in hand?”

“Yes.”  He had meetings with people for next week, but nothing for the next few days.  Certainly nothing emergent. 

“Okay.  Now you are supposed to call Bennington, make sure your Mom is okay, tell them you’re going to have your phone off, and give them the office number here while I go take a shower.  If it’s an emergency Pieter will come get us.”

“Okay.”  This was actually a lot harder than it sounded.  But while Jess gathered something dark and silky he picked up the phone and called.  “Bennington.”  A pleasant female voice answered.

“Um, hello, this is Dr. Reid.”

“Hi Dr. Reid.  How can I help you?”

“I’m, um, going to have my phone off for a while.  I wanted to give you an alternate number, in case of emergency.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

He recited the main number back.  “How is Mom doing?”

“She’s in art therapy right now.  After dinner tonight we’re going to show a movie for our patients.  Would you like to speak to Dr. Norman?”

“No, no that’s all right.”  His mother was physically safe and being cared for.  Eventually they would get her medication dialed in and she would have the best quality of life he could hope for, but that was a process that would take time.  He had hired the best people for the job, now he really had to let go and let them do the work.  “I just wanted to check in before I turned my phone off is all.”

“Okay.  Well don’t worry, she’ll be just fine.  Have fun!”

“Thank you.”  He hung up the phone and flopped back on the bed.  If only she knew.

A few minutes later he heard a voice from above him. “How’s your Mom?”  Jessica asked.

“She’s fine.  She’s in art therapy.  She’s probably drawing something related to Bob Dylan.”  For at least this night no one wanted them for anything.  He opened one eye and looked at her. Heavens, she was standing there in this black and white slip of a thing, her hair hanging loose around her, raven black curls that begged for his hands.  “You really are amazingly beautiful.”

“So are you, you know.”  With that she climbed on the bed, straddled his hips, and bent down to find his lips with hers. 

Her kisses were always amazing, sweet and rich, and her hair became this soft curtain that shut out the world.  But he still just couldn’t let himself go, let himself feel what he wanted.  “This still isn’t working.”  He said between kisses. 

“I know.”

“I shouldn’t be here.  I should be looking after Mom myself, going to keep her company at least.  Or I should be working on my papers, making sure I have enough income to keep her there.  I should be focusing on priorities, not...wasting time.”

“Spencer, your priorities are all met.  Tomorrow...”

“Dad always said tomorrow never comes.”

“Mom used to say things like that too.   You know what I used to say?”

“What?”

“’Tomorrow’ might never come but October 25, 1999 will get here soon enough and will only be here once.  Everything already on your plate is taken care of until then.”   Her smile grew a little wicked.  “Now if your Dad wants you for anything spontaneous tonight he can complain to me.  Close your eyes.”  She stood and reached for something on the nightstand.

Spencer closed his eyes even as he sighed.  “He expects me to be responsible.  He’d want to know why I didn’t just walk out and go do more.”

“Same reason you didn’t then.”  She gently took his arm and stretched it out above him.  “This is why.”

All of a sudden Spencer felt something soft and thick wrap around his wrist.  Before he could react his arm was pulled taught and something was holding it there.  He tugged.  It didn’t let go.  He opened his eyes and craned his head to look.  It was rope, thick silk of the same kind Pieter and Luca used, only this was in a rich, royal purple.  “You...you...”

“Dear Mr. Reid.  I’m sorry, Spencer can’t do everything for you tonight.”  Jessica nearly purred.  “He’ll be free for work again at 8am on October 25, 1999.  He’s kind of tied up in the meantime.  If you have issue with that leave a note in my in box and I’ll get back to you.”

“I’m tied to the bed.”  Spencer just stared at his wrist.  I’m tied to the bed, he thought, I can’t go home right now.  I can’t go to school right now.  I can’t go to work right now.  I can’t do anything but this.  You can’t expect it of me; I’m tied to the bed.

“No, you are tied to _my_ bed.”  Jess slid back over him, bent her head and kissed him once more.

I can’t do anything else.  I’m not responsible.  I’m tied to the bed.  It was that simple and that wonderful.  In that moment all expectations, all worries, all demands dropped away.  He couldn’t.  They couldn’t expect it of him.  They couldn’t make him feel guilty after.  Jess had literally taken control and made it impossible for him to do anything else.  He reached up, threaded his fingers in those raven curls and let all that pent up need that could finally come out into that kiss.  “Please.”  He murmured against her lips. 

“Please what?”  She murmured back.

“Please touch me.  Please.  I don’t know how much time...”  He didn’t know when he would be let go, when he would have to go back.  He _needed_ this so very badly right now.  “I don’t know when we’ll have to go back, please.”

“Spencer, we have all night.  We have all week-end.”  She kissed him again, deeply.  “But...”  She reached down and ran her hand over his groin.

He groaned as all the blood ran out of his head and down where it needed to be.  “Yeah, that did it.”  He managed to choke out.  That would be a ten right there.

“Yeah it did.”  She agreed, and dove into kisses once more.

He drowned in sensation, in curves and softness and warmth and touches over and over, until.  “This isn’t going to work.”  Jessica choked out.

“Why not?”  Spencer was having the best time.  Everything felt amazing, he just didn’t want it to ever end.

“Because I want your hands free, damn it!  Pants.  Off.”  She leaned back and started working on the drawstring knot.

“What?”  Not that he was complaining, his pants were far too tight.

“Get your pants off!”  She got the knot undone and then moved to the nightstand while he kicked them off.

“Don’t untie me!”  He said, even as she pulled the knot that held him to the headboard.  He sat up and pulled his shirt off, tossing it off the bed in the same direction as his pants.

“Don’t worry.”  She had another length of silken rope in her hand.  Before he could think she had it around his ankle and was tying him off to the footboard.  “I am not letting you out of my bed before I’m done with you.”  That done she straddled his lap again.  His hands held her there, against where he was aching so badly.  He was about to kiss her once more when she reached down and pulled her dress over her head.

She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

“I wanted your hands free.”  She said again.  Then she cupped his jaw and kissed him again, her kisses more savage this time, more needy. 

She was so beautiful.  Her breasts were perfect, soft and full and they fit perfectly in his hands.  She moaned into his kisses as he stroked them, feeling the tips of them turn into hard points.  “This is supposed to feel good.”  He managed to murmur as she pressed kisses to this amazing spot under his ear.

“What is?”

In reply he turned his head, captured one hard point between his lips and nibbled gently.

From the way she cried out and rocked her body against him he thought it was likely very good.  But the pressure she was putting on him right there was making his head swim.  He tried to keep going, touched and kissed and loved every inch of her he could reach until he could bear it no more.  “Please.”  He murmured against her soft skin.

“Yes.”  She replied as she pulled away, reached down, and squeezed his hard length. 

His body replied by getting even harder, he could feel himself throbbing in her hands.  “Damn it!  We forgot to get my underwear off!”

“That’s all right.”  She reached up to the nightstand and returned with a pair of scissors.  "That's what trauma shears are for."  A couple of snips faster than he could think and his shorts were reduced to rags.  Now he was naked too. “There.”  She said.  Then she looked up into his eyes, gave him a wicked smile, and lightly ran her fingers over the head of his...his cock, just like she had in that picture.

The sensation of it was so intense it tore a shout from him.  “Do it again!”  He pleaded.  It was all he ever wanted, he just wanted her to never stop touching him.

She did and it was just as good.  “I want.”  She said.

“Yes.”  Whatever she wanted she could have it, so long as she never let him loose from this bed.  In reply she lifted herself and took him in hand and he felt something wet and so hot against him.  “Like this.”  She said, guiding his hands under her bottom to help her balance. 

She rocked against him and he realized it was part of her body, it was her core and she was hot and ready for him.  “Are you sure?”  He whispered as some part of him realized what she was doing.

“Please.”  She whimpered.  When her eyes met his they were huge and full of want and need.  She moved again and it seemed like he wedged and he could feel her pressing against him.  “Oh.  Oh, I can...I can....”

“Don’t...”  He wanted to tell her not to hurt herself.  But he felt whatever he was pressing against give and she slid down against him, taking him in to where it was hot and wet and her body was tugging him in.

They both went mindless then, rocking against each other as the sensation built and built until he swore he would explode somehow.   “Jessica please, please...”  Whatever it was he needed it, he needed it so badly he wouldn’t survive this.  Please.

“Spencer”  He looked at her just then, just in time to see her eyes go wide and hear her gasp and then she shrieked as her body tightened around him, pulling and tugging and...and...

With a strangle cry Spencer let go, and felt the world shatter around him.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

When it was all over Jessica pulled Spencer in tight, cradling him in her arms while they breathed and breathed.  She felt sore, this burning stretch of a pain, but it was utterly worth it for how good she felt everywhere else.  She felt warm and settled and wonderful and when he looked up at her with those gentle eyes she knew she could never let him go now.  Not ever. 

A moment later the bedroom door opened.  “Meisie, what the hell is...oh god!”  Pieter stopped in the doorway and clapped his hand over his eyes.

Jessica’s hand flashed out, she grabbed the nearest pillow and tossed it at his head.  “Get out!”

“Now I’m blind.”  He backed off, herding a laughing Luca behind him.  “Sorry!”  He called through the door.  “Never heard you screaming like that before.”

She couldn’t help it, she started laughing.  Nope, she had never screamed like that before.  Nothing had ever felt that amazing before.  “They...love...us.”  She managed to choke out.

“I know.”  She felt him finally release from her body then, and in that instant regretted the loss of connection.  She slid off his lap and pulled him down into her arms, mindful of the rope that still held him to the bed.  “I want to do that again.”  He said.

“We will.  We will so do that again.”  She agreed.  “Dear Mr. Reid, I’m sorry, Spencer can’t come out to do his chores right now.  I’m not done having my way with him yet.”  She took the trailing end of the rope still attached to his wrist and held it firmly as she kissed him again. 

“Not letting me out, huh?”

“Do you want out?”

“Not really.” 

“There we go.  Although I might have to string a couple together to make it long enough for you to reach the bathroom.”

“Do we have enough?”

“Yes.  Heather bought us a whole box of whipped hanks, lots of fifties, some fifteens, even some small diameter.”

“Whipped?”

She took up the end of the length.  “Yeah, they come pre-cut and finished so they won't unravel.  Top of the line stuff.”

“Small diameter?”

“Yeah.”  She made the long arm and retrieved one of the small hanks from the nightstand.  It was so soft and gentle, perfect for this.

“What do you do with this stuff.”  He asked, taking it in hand and squishing it.

“Use it to, um, increase stamina.”  She looked pointedly at his cock.  It was long and slender, perfect for a square knot ladder, or was when it hadn’t been so recently satisfied.  “If you ever wanted to try it.”

“Um, not right away, thanks.”  He laughed though.  “Boringly vanilla?”

“Not to me.”  She could tie up any cock in this place if she wanted.  What she wanted from him was the kind of intimacy you could only have with a lover who was your best friend.  She purred as he nuzzled into her neck just there.  “Keep it up, we might not wait until you recover.”

“How long do you think that will take?  Remember, I am eighteen.”

“Fifteen minutes, give or take.”  Jessica laid down and pulled him to her once more.

* * *

 

There was a respectful tapping on the door roughly four hours later.  “That would be dinner.”  Jess said.  She was even sorer now, walking was going to be interesting, but it was totally worth it.

“This means we have to get up, doesn’t it?”  Spencer asked.  He was a happy, sodden lump wrapped around a pile of pillows.

“Likely not.”  She slipped from the bed, tying her robe around her middle, and peeked into the parlor.  Sure enough there was one of their room service carts, laid out with the kinds of things that could be easily eaten in bed.  This was beginning to feel like a honeymoon.  “Nope, we’re good.”  She pushed it into the bedroom and closed the door again. 

“Which is a good thing, but I kind of have to....”

Ah. “You know, it’s a quick release knot.”  She said.

He considered this a moment.  “Yes, but that wouldn’t be the same.”

“No, it wouldn’t.”  She grabbed the end tied to the bed post and pulled, unraveling the knot.  He proceeded to roll off and head for the bathroom.

A few minutes later he returned and started building a plate of nibbles.  Apparently now that the wall had been breached he had no problem waltzing about completely naked.  She was not complaining about the view.  “Are you sure it’s being tied that’s doing it for you?”  She asked.

“Um...maybe?  Why do you ask?”

“Because there was a lot of slack in that ankle shackle.  You shouldn’t have actually felt pinned to the bed there.”

He looked at his wrist in bemusement.  “I wonder if it’s just the pressure from the ropes.”

“Let’s test it out.”  Jessica wiped off her hands, slid out of bed, and fetched a very small hank of small rope from the tool cabinet.  First step, she took the working ends of the rope attached to his wrist and tied them off to the headboard, making him lean back and stretch.  “Feel tied to my bed?”

“Um, yeah.”  Spencer said.

“Okay.”  Now she took the one on his ankle and tied it to the footboard.  There was a lot of slack, in her haste she had grabbed a long hank.  It put no stretch at all on his leg.  Then she released the wrist rope and took it off entirely. “Still feel tied?”

“Yep.”  He sat up and started nibbling again.

“Okay, let’s try this.”  She got on the bed, took his right wrist in hand, and unrolled the small hank.  “Close your eyes.”

“Which makes it very hard to eat.”  But he closed them anyway.

“This won’t take long.”  Granted she wanted to fuss over it to get all the rounds properly flat and parallel.  But within a few minutes she had a proper riggers cuff around his wrist.  She put a small loop in the middle for a tie point and finished it off neatly.  She took the rope from around his ankle, then tugged on the loop.  “Still feel tied to my bed?”

“Yes.  By that wrist.”

“Look.”

He did, turning it this way and that to admire it.  “It’s got to be the pressure that’s doing it.”

“Dear Mr. Reid.  I’m sorry Spencer can’t take over all your responsibilities for you right now.  He’s wearing my rope at the moment, which means I’m the one handling all the adult business today.  If you need something done please contact the front desk and they’ll leave a note in my mailbox.”

Thankfully Spencer was laughing as she said that.  “This is nice.”  He said, looking it over again.  “I trust you.”

“Which is very gratifying, thank you.”

“I mean, there’s no reason not to relax.  There’s nothing I have to do between now and...Monday?”

“Dinner with Grandpa Sam Sunday night.”  It was Friday night now, they had time.

“Okay, for the next 48 hours.  But for some reason the pressure of this thing is very relaxing.”  He got that wanting, puppy gleam in his eyes again, and ran his hand up her shoulder.

Jessica felt her body come alive once more.  “After we eat.”  She said.  “We’ll need to keep our energy up.”

“If we have to.”

“We do.”

* * *

 

“So here’s a question.”  Spencer asked sometime later.  “What’s with all the foot kissing?  I noticed a number of the men around here doing that to each other, and to some of the women.  Although I didn’t notice any of the women doing it to each other, or to the men.”

“Podophilia.  Most common form of sexual fetishism for otherwise non-sexual objects or body parts.  And like most paraphilias much more common in men than in women.”

“But women were letting men do that to them.”

“You know most people here do what they do for money.  Not that alternative sexuality isn’t part of their inherent makeup, but most wouldn’t live it 24/7.  And nearly everyone has something they do they do just to get paid.”

Spencer considered this.  “Do you?”

Jessica laughed.  “Yeah, scheduling all the brats in this place.”  They both laughed at that.  “No, I don’t intend to take on clients.  I enjoy working in this atmosphere, but I’m very happy running things behind-the-scenes.  Even if it means I don’t get paid like the artists do.”

“How much?”

“Two hundred an hour for a light submissive, three hundred for most of the switches, up to five hundred for a heavy sub scene.  Soo-Ji also charges five hundred, Pris and Pieter charge six, although he doesn’t charge his boys, and Heather charges a thousand.”

“A thousand dollars an hour!”  Spencer was shocked.

“Uh huh.  And that doesn’t count cover charges for the club, income from the bars and so on, or what the maids pay us to let them work here.  We gross about fifty thousand a night.  Granted our expenses run to at least half that, but we’re still talking at least seven hundred fifty thousand a month.”

“I didn’t realize sexual fetishism could be an...eight million dollar a year business.”

“Welcome to Las Vegas.  But we were talking about feet, most of the people here doesn’t mind the foot worship people if they’re not into it themselves.  It brings in the cash and having your feet rubbed feels pretty good.  Actually having just about anything rubbed feels good.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah I....I’m sorry, I forgot.”

“What?”

“How body shy you’ve been.”  Now she had an idea.  She leaned over and kissed him.  “We need showers first.

* * *

 

Showers happened, or rather a shower, very hot and shared as the shower in her new space had more than enough room for two.  Once they were clean she showed him what a well-educated mouth and careful fingers could do.  “There.  That’s what I wanted to see.”  Jessica said with no little satisfaction

“What?”  Spencer asked her.

“That smile on your face.  All happy and buzzed and wide eyed.”

He couldn’t stop smiling.  “Endorphins.  Endogenous opiates.  You managed to get me naturally high.”  He slid a hand up into her hair.  “How do I get that smile on your face?”

“I think we can come up with something.”  She gathered up some towels and that bottle of massage oil she had been saving for just this occasion. 

* * *

 

After a massage was given and reciprocated, and the sensitivity of the human foot duly noted Spencer proceeded to show her what an uneducated but very determined mouth can do.  And then he slid on top of her.  By the time he was done she felt like she was sinking into the mattress under him and yet somehow flying, her whole body buzzing with pure pleasure.  She not only couldn’t stop smiling, she couldn’t stop laughing.  “You were right about the endorphins.”

“And prostaglandins, in your case.  Should we have been using condoms?”

“You’re clean, I’m clean, I’m baby-proof these days, we’re fine.”  She rolled into his arm.  “The benefits of monogamy.  I love you Dr. Reid.”

“I love you too. Mistress Jessica.”


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 34**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

On Monday morning Spencer found himself staring at the cuff he had worn for so long.  It had been a comfort all week-end, the pressure and texture triggering his subconscious to relax and let him actually act his age.  And it hadn’t been all about sex, they’d gone for bike rides, out for frozen custard and then to the Magic Castle Saturday night for dinner and the show and had a ball.  He’d even worn it to dinner with Grandpa Sam under his sweater, and had enjoyed not being the most ‘mature’ at the table for once.   But he had meetings today; he had to be a full adult once more.  “I honestly don’t want to take it off.”  He said, looking at the rope cuff that encircled his wrist.

“I don’t blame you.”  Jessica replied.  They were in her office; she needed to start her work day.  “Will you be done with your appointments by three do you think?”

“Very likely.”

“OK then, we’ll put it back on before tea.  It’ll be a signal that you’re done with your work for the day and you can relax.”

“That should work.”  He held out his wrist and she removed the rope, replacing it with his watch.  The shock of the cold metal was a bit jarring, but would nicely delineate on versus off the clock.

As she turned to her work he stood there for a long moment, mentally reviewing everything he still had left to do.  “What are you thinking?”  She asked after a moment.

“I’m mentally reviewing everything I still have to do to get Mom settled, everything I need to work on for my dissertation, and the notes I’ll need for my lectures next week.  I’m trying to figure out where to start.”

“What’s due first?  What will take the longest?  What can you break down into smaller steps?”

“Ummm....”

“Where’s your binder?”

“My binder?”  He asked as Luca walked in.

“Yeah, your organizing binder.”  She picked up a slender binder with a floral cover off her desk.  “You remember the AACY class we had on organizing your tasks and time?”

“Of course.  I never made one.”

She looked surprised at this.  “Why not?”

“I don’t really need one.  I have an eidetic memory.”

“Yeah, I know you can remember what to do and any appointments, but how do you determine what you need to prioritize on any given day?  Or what can be scheduled on a day in the future?”

“Um, I start where I left off and go.”

“Until...”

“Until I fall asleep, usually.”

Jessica stopped and stood there a moment, holding her binder in the air.  Luca looked at him, looked at her, looked back at him.  “I’ll be back when she’s finished paddling you.”  He said.

“Hold it.”  Jessica said to him.  “Come back.  You’re working on...”  She checked her binder.  “Spanish verbs today, yes?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We’ll work on them together over lunch.  I need a runner this morning.”

“Um, okay.”

The way she was looking at Spencer made him kind of uncomfortable.  “What is going on?”  He asked.

“Remember how we were talking about rules outside of the bedroom?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, given that we just explained a sizable chunk of your stress level you’re about to get some.  Here” She pulled out a clipboard, legal pad and pencil.  “Start writing down everything you need to do.  All of it.  Everything from whatever experiments you have planned to buying new socks.  And I want a copy of your daily schedule for the semester, and a list of any other upcoming obligations you can think of.”

“But I...”

“Spencer.  Write.”

She got a little testy when she was in Domme mode.  He sighed and sat down and started making a list.

“What am I doing?”  Luca asked.

“Getting one of the bouncers to take you to the office supply store.  I’ll make you a list.  Isn’t there a leather bag that’s been in Lost and Found forever?”

“Yeah, some schoolbag thing someone was using for role play.”

“Go bring that here.”

* * *

 

Spencer had to acknowledge that Jessica was occasionally brilliant.  Well, regularly brilliant, but sometimes she outdid herself.

That morning, in between finishing her work, she sorted out his life.  Apparently going until you fall asleep every night was not healthy and was contributing to his stress levels.  She took what she called the framework of his class and meeting schedule and put things around it, telling him exactly what he needed to work on and when, and leaving him with hours of free time both before and after his structured day.  “I’m going to fill in your mornings.”  Jessica said.  “And some of the late afternoons.  Here’s a question, are you going to be coming out more often?”

“I’d like to, if it’s all right with you.”  He replied. 

“Gas isn’t an issue?  Wear and tear on your car?”

“The Volvo Amazon P130 122S is one of the reliable, most fuel efficient sedans ever made.  It should handle the trip just fine.”

“In that case come out as often as you like.  We’ll work your schedule so you have week-ends off.”

“That would be great.”

“What do you eat during the week?  No, I am not taking your coffee away.”  She must have read the look on his face.

“I usually eat in Chandler Dining Hall.  Well...”

“Well what?”

“I try to eat at Chandler Dining Hall, but I never know what to choose.  I usually end up with a cheeseburger when I get there.  The rest of the time I see what they have in the nearest vending machines.”

“What about breakfast?”

“A cheeseburger is actually a balanced breakfast, carbs, protein, fat...”

She held up a finger for him to wait, turned and started typing something on her computer.  “Good, they post menus on the campus network.  Do you want us to sort out a better nutrition plan?  It would help you improve your body composition and concentration as well as strengthen your immune system.”

Spencer thought about it.  Did he want help navigating the dining hall?  Kind of, it usually smelled remarkably tasty and compared to the ones here the cheeseburgers there were going to suffer by comparison.  “Please.”

“We can do that.”

“So you just help with what I want to work on?”

“Or find someone who can help, yeah.”  She smiled at him.  “That’s what a good Dom does; help the ones they love grow.”

“Can you help me teach my classes as well?”  He teased gently.

She did not rise to the bait.  “I can give you a framework for organizing your notes, but advanced mathematics is entirely on you.”

* * *

 

When it was all done he had everything he needed in a binder, which fit perfectly in the leather bag they had found.  Along with pencils and pens, whatever notebooks he needed, legal pads, books to read, a CD player and headphones, a few miniature toiletries and some somewhat healthier snacks.  “You need a chess set.”  She said.  “I bet we can find a travel one somewhere.”

He looked down into the bag.  “That would be perfect.”

* * *

 

“Bicycle?”  He asked.  “But I have a car.”

“It’s good cardio.”  She replied, tucking the map and instructions into his binder.  “You’ll ride to the studio every morning for a yoga class.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s good exercise, which has proven health benefits, and it helps reduce stress and it’s a time during the day that you can connect with what we’re doing here.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“There you go.”

* * *

 

For the rest of the week Spencer took care of his mother’s affairs during the day but returned to the House at three where Jessica wrapped the ropes around his wrist, and he relaxed and played like a kid and loved.

The last Sunday he was in Vegas they had lunch with Grandpa Sam, he packed up, said good-bye to everyone, and ended up not wanting to let go of her at all.  “I am going to miss you.”  He said.  “I’m going to miss all of this.”

“You’ll be back Friday.”  She reminded him.  But she kissed him over and over again.  “Vegas would bore you so quickly.”

“I know.  But I’ll be back Friday.”

“Yes you will.”

* * *

 

**Avery House  
California Institute of Technology**

The next morning Spencer rose at five.  He drank off some mysterious powder Pieter had given him that he mixed with exactly twelve ounces of whole milk, picked up the gym bag he had packed the night before, marveled at the fact that he had an actual gym bag, strapped it to the rack on his bike, and rode to a yoga studio four miles away.  There he took a deep breath, spoke to the teacher, and took up a spot in the back of the room. 

Sixty minutes later, feeling hot and stretched and very much aware of his body, in a good way, he rode back home for a shower, after explaining the concepts of exercise and gym bags to his roommate.  He dressed for the day, packed up what he needed in that leather bag, including the all-important binder, and went to breakfast.  Once there he skipped the ‘Bunsen Burner’ grill like when he usually went for burgers and headed for the ‘Comfort Equation’ line.  Turned out that was where they sold hot breakfasts.  “Santa Fe Scramble, sausage, potatoes and an English muffin.”  He ordered exactly what Pieter had spelled out.  He got back a plate of eggs mixed with vegetables and the other things he had ordered, and stopped for some orange juice.  And no one looked at him twice.

He went to classes, met with students, his own advisor, and studied his own work, going to the library or his desk at the times Jessica had set out, working on just what she told him to do and no more.  For the first time he didn’t feel pushed or harried or unfinished, it seemed like he finished a few minutes before he had to leave and as a result he never felt like he was being interrupted by the next thing. 

He’d bought a Chicken Teriyaki Wrap thing for lunch, with assorted sides, tucked into an insulated container in his new bag, which meant that he could eat in the gardens by the library, and absorb some sunlight to make some Vitamin D.  He could also take thirty minutes to read a book for pleasure, which was a nice touch.

Somewhere along the line he noticed that he was drinking less coffee.  Not no coffee at all, but...less.

At the end of the day he found himself with two hours with nothing to do before bed, which was kind of shocking.  So he changed into his pajamas, put some Dr. Who on his computer, and booted up his chat program.

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Spencer:  So I see your point about scheduling._

_Spencer:  You can say it if you want._

_Jessica:  No good Dom would ever say I told you so._


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 1999**

On Friday of that first week Spencer finished his last class.  He went over his checklist to make sure he had either finished everything on it or had packed up the work to take with him.  Then he packed up the few things he took back and forth, got in his car, and pointed it eastward to Las Vegas.

He stopped at Bennington to check on his Mom.  She was better but still not clued in to reality, so he didn’t stay.  Instead he drove over to the Dominion, unloaded his bags, and headed to Jessica’s office only to find it shut down for the night.  All right then, he’d go shower and change before he went looking for her.

But she was waiting for him, in their little parlor, with dinner on the small table for two by the window.  “There you are.”  She said, greeting him with a hug and a very welcome kiss.  “I decided I want you for myself on Friday nights.”

He pretended to consider this.  “Hmmm.  While I enjoy Luca’s company, I suppose I can wait to see him at breakfast.”

She laughed.  “Good answer.  Go get a shower, dinner will stay warm.”

He had that shower.  They had dinner at the table and dessert and tea on the sofa and shared their week all the way through.  Eventually Jessica casually picked up a hank of rope and tied that riggers cuff around his wrist before kissing him.  Not long after they went to bed.

Week-ends were wonderful.

* * *

 

**January 2000**

Breakfast on Saturday morning some months later.  “Oh good, you made it.”  Luca said, dropping into his seat across from Spencer.

“Yeah, the weather wasn’t that bad.”  He was still eating whatever Pieter put on the menu for ‘the boys’ as they were now called.  This morning it involved waffles.  He did like waffles.  “Why?”

“Um....”  As Spencer watched Luca slowly turned from pale to flat out pink.  “Um...Pieter and I were doing this...thing...tonight and he said I could ask if you and Miss Jess wanted to be there.”

“Thing?”  With Pieter a ‘thing’ could be anything from a choral performance to an orgy.

“Yeah.  A clothespin thing.”

“A clothespin thing?”

“Yeah.”

What on this green earth was a clothespin thing.  Spencer turned his head as Jessica came in, about to ask her, but she looked more than a little upset.  “What’s wrong?”

“Mona is what’s wrong.”

“Mona?”  Luca asked.

“Yeah.  Did you know she’s a switch?”

“No.  I thought she was a concierge Domme.”

“A concierge Domme?”  Spencer asked.

“Yeah.”  Jess said.  “We get calls from the concierges at the big casinos all the time.  Some conventioneer from, say, Bismarck, North Dakota wants the full stays-in-Vegas experience so they tell them they know a guy who knows a guy and call us to book a few hours.  It’s remarkably good money.  Depending on what they want and how much they want to pay they either get Soo-Ji’s Mistress White Flower and the Secrets of the Orient routine or if they don’t want to spend that much they get a couple of hours with one of our part-time Dommes.  They’re not into the lifestyle thing, for them it’s a job so they don’t mind taking on non-repeat customers.  I thought Mona was like that but Tom saw her on the monitor in the Steam Room getting a full mummy with bondage.  But she wasn’t booked in there so he hadn’t been watching for her the whole time.  He said it seemed like she knew the guy well, a repeat customer or maybe something personal.”

“Monitor?”  Spencer asked.  “You mean like cameras?  You spy on people?”

“Yeah, as a safety measure.  We have CCTV throughout the complex, except in the private apartments.  When a room is booked they keep it up on the monitor, while the unbooked rooms rotate.”

“Dude, that is not cool.”  Luca said.  He looked at Spencer.  “You can get hurt doing things like that.  A full mummy can even kill you.  Better to have someone watching out for you when you’re doing shit like that.  Mona’s an old-timer though, she knows the rules.  So what the hell?”

“Not a clue, but I’m going to talk to Lady Heather about it.”  Jess sighed and shook her head about the whole thing.

“What’s a clothespin thing?”  Spencer asked.

In reply Jess looked at Luca.  “You’re doing it tonight?”

He turned red again but nodded.  “Pieter said I could, um, invite you two.”

She turned red as well.  “We’d be honored.”

“Cool.”  He nodded.  “I’m going to go die of embarrassment now.”

“Have fun.”

“What’s a clothespin thing?”  Spencer asked as Luca was leaving.

“You’ll see.”

Spencer happily munched on his waffle for a moment.  “So, I’ve been thinking.”  He said.

“Never a good sign.”  Jessica teased.

He didn’t dignify that with a reply.  “I’ve come to a certain interpretation of my observation so far.  It appears that there are layers of meaning, or perhaps levels of involvement, to the whole, quote, BDSM lifestyle, unquote.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.  It appears that to the vast majority BDSM is a way of augmenting the sexual experience, meaning anything from a way to be exposed to more potential partners to enhancing pleasure, but no more than that.  It doesn’t have any meaning beyond a good time.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, for most people.”

“For others it’s a way to make money.  Soo-Ji being the most recent example.  But for a few it’s more than that.  The closest metaphor I can come up with is to a spiritual practice.  Not a religion per say, no one is worshiping anything, but perhaps something akin to the combination of practices commonly called Tantra in the west.   David Gordon White of the University of California, Santa Barbara defined Tantra as the Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways.”

Now he had her full attention.  “You think we’re trying to find god?”

“Not literally, I’m trying to sort out a metaphor.  But in religious terms, divinity or godhead is the state of things that come from a supernatural power or deity, and so could be regarded as sacred and holy. Such things are regarded as "divine" due to their transcendental origins, and/or because their attributes or qualities are superior or supreme relative to things of the Earth.  Divine things are regarded as eternal and based in truth, while material things are regarded as ephemeral and based in illusion. Many people do consider love to be divine for just that reason.”

“So you think we’re trying to find love?”

“More like taking the experiences of love and intimacy and drive them to their highest point so as to reach enlightenment, as defined as receiving insight or awakening to the true nature of reality.”

“So we’re trying to reach enlightenment by pushing the bounds of sexual fulfillment as far as it can go?”

“Something like that.”

“Sometimes you astound me.  And...confuse me.”  She said.  “But I kinda like it.”

“Which, to torture the metaphor further, would make this an abbey devoted to the art of love and pleasure.  All the people who come here are acolytes.”  Spencer smiled.  “I kind of like the symbolism.”

“Which would, what, make me a novice?”  Jessica asked.  “And you an oblate?  Hey, I do listen when your mother talks, even when she’s not making much sense.”

“Oblate.  Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally living in general society, who, while not professed monks or nuns, have individually affiliated themselves with a monastic community of their choice. They make a formal, private promise annually renewable or for life, depending on the monastery with which they are affiliated, to follow the Rule of the Order in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.  I like that too.”

Soo-Jin came over and fell into the turquoise silk chair next to Spencer.  She was a smaller Asian woman with long dark hair, somewhere between twenty and seventy.  “What are you two up to?”  She asked.

“We’re torturing a metaphor.”  Jessica said.

“Whatever turns you on.”  Soo-Ji turned back to her salad and phone.

“You know, that being the case, you haven’t really seen true worship yet.”  Jessica said, tormenting that poor metaphor further.  “You’ve seen practice for the rituals, and perhaps passion plays put on to bring in donations, but not the real deal.”

That was interesting.  “So how does one go about seeing the real thing?”

“You will tonight.”


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 2000**

Normally, on nights when he went out ‘on the floor’, into the parts of the club where the customers could be found, Spencer wore what had evolved into the claimed male sub uniform.  It was simple enough, grey pants and a white shirt.  Luca and Robin both tended to wear loose ‘yoga’ pants, for ease of removal, and their shirts open to reveal bare chests.  In Luca’s case this was to increase his self-esteem, he was taking better care of himself than he had before he became Pieter’s and it was showing in his body composition and general good health.  The compliments he received set up a positive feedback loop that encouraged him to stick to his healthy eating and exercise plan.  In Robin’s case it was to show off the damage Pricilla had done to him at any given time.  He rather enjoyed showing the evidence of his pain tolerance, and in some cases the humiliation of having to show her latest marks.  But Spencer stuck to tailored dress pants and only opened the top two buttons on his shirt.  Sometimes he even wore a suit jacket, if for some reason the club was chilly that night.  “You don’t want me to show off?”  He’d asked once.

“As far as I’m concerned I’m showing you off no matter what you wear.”  Jessica replied.  “The question is, would you be more comfortable wearing less?”

“Um, no, but shouldn’t that be your choice in this situation?”

“It is and I am choosing to respect your body shyness and inherent modesty.  Your comfort is more important to me than impressing others.”

“Do you really think they would be impressed?”

“Absolutely.  Why do you think I had everything tailored?  You don’t have to be blatant to be sexy; sometimes what you imply is more erotic than what you show.  And you are one of those lucky men who looks as good in well-tailored dress clothes as he does out of them.  Someday,” She purred and met his eyes in her vanity mirror, “I will come up with an excuse to see you in a tuxedo.”

He stayed pink around the edges for an hour after that.

But tonight Jess had suggested looser pants.  “Only because I suspect we’re going to be cuddling through this, and you might be more comfortable.”  She said.  “Your pants won’t be coming off until we get back here.”

One of the things he loved was that he could deadpan tease her and she not only got it she gave right back.   “You think they’ll come off when we get back here?” 

“They will if you want to sleep in my bed.”

“In that case.”  He pulled out a soft, old pair of cords to wear.

Spencer followed her through the maze of interconnected buildings to a floor he’d never seen before.   It was quiet, hushed, the halls empty.  “What floor is this?”  He asked.

“The VIP floor.”  She replied.  “Most people here don’t have access.  Even when they do they rarely come up here.  But there’s a room set aside for the house Doms when they want to do a scene with theirs and they don’t want to be disturbed.”

A scene, a planned out evening of erotic play.  “Do you have permission to use that room?”

Jess nodded.  “If we ever want to get that complicated and we need more space than in our rooms.”

“I can’t imagine getting that complicated.”

She chuckled.  “We are kinda boring.”

Compared to everyone else they were.  They had never done anything more than hold hands or briefly kiss outside of their rooms, stuck to a short list of activities that wouldn’t turn the head of the average suburban couple and if you didn’t count the cuff he wore and the silk scarf they sometimes used as a blindfold didn’t involve any so-called toys or objects.  Jess hadn’t even tied him to the bed after that first time.  But he hadn’t felt the need to explore further; Jess’ body and his own feelings were more than enough to keep him happily occupied for the foreseeable future.  “I’m okay with boring.”  He replied.

“So am I.”  She replied easily.  “But if you ever change your mind...”

“I know.  So what is a clothespin thing?”

In reply she held a finger to her lips and opened the door to one of the rooms, ushering him inside.

It was a comfortable space, warmly lit.  In the center was an assemblage of pipes.  Spencer knew that they had a storeroom full of lengths of pipe and different fittings that could be put together to make bondage stands in any configuration imaginable.  Pieter was at a table set up to one side, measuring out lengths of rope.  On the table were the usual items that always seemed to be present, and two large pails.  There was also a rolling cart.  In front of the pipes Luca was sitting on the floor in a meditative position.

In the corner, well away from the center, was a large chase lounge, angled so two people could sit on it, perhaps cuddle, and watch the show.  This was where Jess led him.  “Wait here.”  She murmured.  While he waited she went to the table and took something out of one of the pails.  Pieter nodded to her but they didn’t not exchange any words.  When she returned she motioned him onto his knees in front of her.  This had nothing to do with supplication and everything to do with her being of average height while he had reached six foot with his last growth spurt.  “Close your eyes.”  She said, her voice low so as not to reach the others.  “Breathe, deliberately.  Try to focus on the sense of touch.”

Spencer complied.  He knew the deliberate breathing she meant would induce a relaxed, very light trance state.  As he focused he felt her rolling his sleeves up to just past the elbow and then lifting his arms so they were open to the sides.  “Just like that.”  She murmured.  Then he felt her open one more button on his shirt.  “No more.”  She reassured him as she spread his collar wide.  “Now observe.”  She said.

Then she kissed him.

It was rich and sweet, her lips soft and deliberate, the flick of her tongue awakening the usual cravings.  But he didn’t see a difference from her usual kisses.  “All right.”  He murmured when the kiss broke.

“Keep your eyes closed.”  She said.

He felt her fingers on his arm, then it felt like something bit him.  There was this sharp pressure on the tender part of his forearm, just below his elbow.  “What...?”

He felt her gentle touch over his eyes.  “Shhh.  Keep your eyes closed.”

Whatever it was that was biting him was starting to hurt, and aching, burning sort of pain that woke up all the primitive parts of his brain.  It pulled all his focus over to that one spot, demanding that he pay attention to what was happening here.

Then something bit his other arm, a bit above the wrist.  “Shhh.”  Jessica quieted him again.

There was another bite, this just over his collarbone.  This one was more painful.  “Ow!”  He hissed.

“Shhh.  It’s all right.”

Another bite, this on the side of his throat.

Another, this a tight, painful pressure on his ear.  “What is that?” 

“Shhh.  Observe.”

She kissed him again.  But somehow it was different.  Her lips were softer, rich as velvet, the lick of her tongue made him swell for her.  The pain of those bites somehow mingled with the pleasure of the kiss and became pleasure in themselves.  Even as her lips lingered he felt her doing something to them, making them shift and move and re-bite, in a way that was both painful and exquisite.  He couldn’t decide if he wanted the biting to stop or keep going.

“Observe.”  She murmured again.

He felt her lips on his arm then, a gentle brush of a kiss.  Then the bite stopped, whatever was biting him was removed and he felt the blood rush back to that particular bit of skin with a warm burn.  She kissed just there and he gasped a little at the sensation, that bite had rendered his skin much more sensitive than before.

She kissed his collarbone on the side without the bite, then the side with, and he hissed from the pleasure.

The side of his throat without, then with, and he almost whimpered from it.

His ear without and then with and he did whimper.  Would it be wrong if they went back to their room?  “What is that?” He murmured.

“Look.”  She replied.

Spencer opened his eyes and looked at the one remaining bite, the one on the inside of his right wrist.

It was a clothespin.

It was a simple wooden clothespin, the kind you might get anywhere.  Jessica had pinched up a bit of his skin in its jaws.  She removed it now, leaving that burning sensitivity and a little red mark that Spencer knew would fade quickly.  “Clothespins?”

She held out her open hand.  In it were five clothespins.  “Clothespins.”  She replied.  She pinched up a bit more of the skin on his arms and put one there.  It bit and burned as the others had.  “Come here.”  She said, guiding him up to sit with her, lean against her so they could cuddle together.  “Watch.”

While he had been focused on what was happening to him Pieter had been lashing Luca to the bondage frame.  Now he kissed him and slid a blindfold over his eyes.  Luca stood there with a little smile on his face, helpless, while his lover undid his pants and let them fall, leaving him naked, his arousal evident.  At that moment Spencer realized how this was likely to end for Luca, and why being invited was such an honor.  It was being invited in to an intimacy Pieter and Luca very rarely shared.

“Imagine this everywhere.”  Jessica whispered to him as she tapped the end of the clothespin on his arm, making it quiver in a way that was almost but not quite painful.

“Everywhere?”

Pieter pulled the rolling cart over, returned to the table, and dumped the pails out into the cart.  Hundreds of clothespins poured into the top in a noisy rattle.  Hundreds of them.

Spencer felt his eyes go wide.  Hundreds of them.  Everywhere.

Pieter picked one up and placed it on Luca’s stomach.  Luca started breathing just a little bit harder.

“Are those all the clothespins in the house?”  Spencer asked quietly.  All of a sudden he was very glad he was wearing loose pants.

“Those are Pieter’s private supply.”  Jessica looked over at him and smiled.  “We can buy some tomorrow if you want.”

“I...think I do.”  Maybe he wasn’t that vanilla after all.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 2000**

The next morning, after what had been an interesting night, Jessica and Spencer were awakened by a phone call.  “Mmmhmm.”  Jess said.  “Okay.  Ten minutes?  All right, I’m on my way.”

“Who was that?”  Spencer asked from the depths of the bed.

“Heather.  She needs a meeting right away.”

He opened an eye to squint at the clock.  “At 7am on a Sunday?”

“The one problem with living and working in a 24/7 business.  The boss lady keeps very strange hours.” 

By now Jess was sitting up.  She fumbled for the pajamas at the end of the bed.  This, to Spencer’s mind, was unfortunate.  She was always beautiful, but the cool dawn light showed her body to its best advantage.  She looked carved from marble in this light. “Pajamas?”

“Odd hours but thankfully not picky about business dress.”  Jess pulled on her pajamas, stretched, and headed in to the bathroom.

“Do I have to get up?”  Spencer called after her.

“Please don’t.  Breakfast is coming, eventually.”  She called back before closing the door.

One really nice benefit of all the overeager maids around the house, they got a kick out of bringing Milady breakfast in bed.  Spencer rather thought it was to ogle him, which was why he always buttoned his pajamas to the neck and pulled on his bathrobe when they came in.  They always commented on his old man clothes, which was fine by him.  Once they left he could curl up with Jess a little while longer.

But after Jess pulled on her own robe and left it wasn’t a maid who knocked and then came in unannounced.  Luca put his head around the door.  “I saw Jess leave.”  He said quietly.  “You awake?”

“Mmmm.”  Spencer had been drifting back off.  “Mostly.  Why?”

Before he realized that would be taken as an invitation Luca was climbing into bed beside him.  Which would not have been a problem, they’d done a number of movie night sleepovers before, which had always been fun, but Spencer had always been in pajamas for them.  At the moment he wasn’t.  He wasn’t in anything.  Luca, however, didn’t seem to notice.  “Are we going to be totally weird after last night?”  Luca asked.  He was already red around the ears and cheeks.

“I don’t know, are we?”  Spencer asked.  “I’m not, if that’s any help.  Although I am honored.  Why did you want me there?”

“Huh?”  Luca asked.

“You wanted me there.  You could have invited Jess in at any time, but I’m only here on average of six nights a month, and three of those are unavailable.”  Friday nights were always reserved for him and Jess alone.  “So why did you want _me_ there?”

Luca stared at him a long moment, slowly growing redder.  “You don’t know?”  He finally asked.

“No, I....”  All of a sudden a thought, or maybe a realization, came to Spencer.  “I am...”  Oh heavens, now he was turning red.

But Luca must have seen it in his face.  “That’s what I thought.”  He said.

“But I am not interested in sex with men.”

“Sex, or intercourse?  Or intimacy?”

“There’s a difference?”

Luca’s smile grew wider.

* * *

 

The one good thing about meetings with Lady Heather at this hour, or at any hour, was that she always remembered the details.  There was a mug of strong tea, a warm croissant and a plate of shortbread waiting on her tea tray when Jessica sat down.  Add in her warm bathrobe and cozy slippers and it was about as good as a meeting at the crack of dawn could be.  “You wanted to see me?”  Jessica asked.

“Yes.”  Heather replied.  “I need a favor.”

“Oh?”

“You know this is my week-end with Zoe.”

“Of course.”  Zoe Kessler, Heather’s daughter.  Heather’s daughter who lived with her father here in Vegas and was a senior at Meadows and thought her mother traveled on business a lot.  She’s been a sophomore when Jessica had graduated and neither had a clue.  “She had that sleep over this week-end, didn’t she?”

“She did.  I’m supposed to pick her up and take her to brunch before I take her home.  Unfortunately I had a client call.”

“Oh?”  Wait a minute, back up the truck.  “I am not entertaining one of your clients.”  She did have some hard limits.  “Unless he wants a straight whipping scene.”  She could manage that, but Heather brought a whole new level of role play or sensuality to her work.  Jessica could never hope to match that.

“Not like that.  I just want you to keep him company while he waits in the VIP room.  Have a cup of coffee.  Let him tell you stories.  He tells the most fascinating stories.  Besides, just between the two of us?”

“Of course.”

“Back when I first started at Lady Elsie’s I was a submissive.  That was when he became my client.”  Heather reached into her neckline.  But where her key should have hung there was a tag. 

Jessica leaned forward to look, not quiet believing her eyes.  Yep, it was a tag, and not one with a red rose on it either.  This one was royal blue, and marked with gold scales of justice.  “This is your Dom?”  Just to clarify here.

“He is a...remarkable man.  Only comes around once or twice a year.  Until he retired, oh, a little over two years ago his work kept him very busy.  I never know when he’s going to come into town.”

“That’s why he caught you by surprise.”  Jessica didn’t ask what he did, or what his name was.  The rule was you didn’t ask VIP clients, they told you or they didn’t, period.  “Just coffee?”

“Just coffee.  He’s seen you on the floor; he wants to meet you, just on a friendly basis.  I trust him completely, of course.  And he would be a good friend for you to have in the future, very well connected, very powerful and intelligent.”

“All right.”  Coffee.  How bad could it be?  “What time?”

“Eleven.  He uses the VIP entrance.  Older man, small beard and moustache, he’ll be looking for you.  Wear whatever makes you feel powerful.”

“All right.”

Heather smiled.  “Thank you so much darling.”

“You’re welcome.”  Jessica smiled back.  “One thing, you said you met him at Lady Elsie’s?”

“Yes.”

“Lady Elsie’s Ranch?”

“Yes, I trained there.  Why?”

“Elsie Hartwick?”

“Yes, wh....”  Heather blinked at her as it clicked.

They both laughed for a long time.

* * *

 

As Jess was heading down the hall to her rooms she encountered Pieter heading the opposite way.  “Now why are you up at this hour?”  Jess asked.

“Can’t find Luca.”  Pieter replied.  “Have you seen him?”

“No, I’ve been in with Heather.  What is he doing up at this hour?”

“Not a clue, but it can’t be good.”

Jess sighed.  “Let me get Spencer up, we’ll help you look.”

But she got as far as the bedroom door before she looked back over her shoulder.  “Pieter.”  She said quietly.  When he came up behind her she nodded to the two snoring lumps in her bed.  “They didn’t let us watch.”  She complained in a whisper.

“Nah, they wouldn’t have.  Luca knows better.  But they are brothers now you know.”  He flashed her a wicked grin.  “We can have fun with that.”

“Only so much.  Spencer still has pretty strict limits.  I’m not stretching them for him.”  Fine, her bed was full.  She wandered across the hall, through a parlor set up for entertaining, and into a bedroom decorated in African art.  The bed was as soft and nest like as hers, thankfully.  “Unfortunately I can’t exactly reciprocate here.”

“Would you if you could?”  Pieter asked, sitting to face her.

“Honestly?  No.”  Pieter was amazingly gorgeous to look at, and kind and gentle when his sadistic side wasn’t coming out.  But he wasn’t Spencer.  “But then I’m not the only monogamous one in the house, now, am I?”

“Nope.”  No one had ever followed Pieter around long enough to realize that he always kept his pants up.  Even when he was working with his boys they fucked each other.  He kept himself for Luca.  “But there is one thing you can do for me.”

Uh oh.  “What?”

“I’ve been looking for a female partner for it for a long time.”

“What?”

“We can practice on the days when you have whip class with Heather.”

“What?”  He drove her nutty sometimes, swear.

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”  Pieter grinned again.  He did it deliberately too, the git.  “What are you up to today?”

“Entertaining one of Heather’s clients.”

He blinked at her over that one.  “Beg your pardon?” 

“Not like that.  We’re supposed to have coffee until Heather gets back from brunch with Zoe.”

“Could be worse.  You need anything give the doorman the high sigh, yeah?”

“Of course.”  Jess looked up at him.  “You’re a pretty good big brother you know.”

“And you’re a good little sister to have around meisie.  I’m glad I have you.  More than that I’m glad Luca has you.”

That meant a lot.  “I’m glad I have him too.”

* * *

 

Later that day, while Spencer hung out around the pool with Pieter and Luca, Jessica waited in the VIP lounge for Heather’s Dominant. 

He was an older man, as Heather had said, with a neat beard and moustache that like his hair was dark going to salt and pepper.  He was dressed in expensive, clothes but with casual taste, fine Italian boots with jeans, a hand tailored jacket, monogram on his shirt signaling custom work but no tie.  No wedding ring, but a heavy gold signet in a design Jess had never seen before.  A twinkle in his eye and a very friendly smile.  “I expected Heather.”  He said in a rich, melodious voice which was not upset at all.

“She had a family obligation.”  Jessica replied.  Unlike a submissive would she stood tall and looked him in the eye.  Heather said to wear what made her feel strong, so a neat shirt, leggings and her boots it was.  “She should be here in about an hour and a half.  In the meantime she asked me to keep you company over coffee.”

“Her week-end with Zoe, is it?”  The man asked as he sat across from her.

“Yes, it is.”  That was surprising.  They had to be very close for Heather to have said anything about her daughter to him. 

“Well, that’s understandable.  Mistress Jessica, isn’t it?  Newest queen of the whip around here.”

Jessica felt herself turning a bit pink around the edges, but held her ground.  “Yes it is.”  She said as she poured the coffee.  “But my primary duty around here is general manager.  I don’t work with clients.”

“So she said.  I admit, I’m glad to have a chance to get to know you.”

“Oh?”

“I was curious.”  He sat back and looked her over, but this was different.  This wasn’t a man looking to be charmed by a pretty young woman.  For a moment Jessica swore he was looking in to her soul.  “What is a young woman like you doing in a job like this?”

“A woman like me?”

“Mmm hmm.  I’m curious about your story.”

Jessica smiled.  “And here Heather said you were the story teller, Mr....”  This was usually a cue for the client to give whatever false name he wanted to use on this visit. 

But this client, this man who radiated confidence, was not one to use a false name, ever.  “Rossi.  Dave Rossi.  And I have a few hundred stories to tell, but you first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In 10x17 "Breath Play" Rossi admitted to having been involved with BDSM since he was a senior in high school. Not only that but he found the location of the local munch and the name of the woman running it faster than Garcia could. My interpretation of this is that he's still very much active in the community. There's a website out there, very much like a Facebook for the kinky*, where you can find that information quickly. But in order for him to access it that quickly he would have already been a subscriber and the password would have been saved in his phone, meaning he's a regular visitor to that site. Hence, a kinkster Rossi.
> 
> * No, I'm not going to share a link to that site, it's over 18 only. If you know what it is you can easily find me, I use the same nickname. I only friend people from my local community though. But I am publishing the non-fanfict version of this story there, if you're interested. It will likely be even more explicit than this one. If you have any questions message me though the FF.net PM service.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**January 2000**

“You could have introduced me.”  Spencer said.

“No.”  Jessica replied.  “Heather may trust Mr. Gold Scales but I really don’t know him.”  Mr. Gold Scales.  They never used a VIP’s real name amongst themselves.  Ever.  “I certainly don’t know him well enough to trust him with you.”

Spencer looked at her, curious.  “I didn’t realize you were being that protective.”

“Yep.  Granted it may have more to do with my comfort.  I like knowing you’re safe.”

“You don’t ask about life at school though.  What if I had met him there?”

“The expectations there are different.  People come here to be sexually aroused and amused.  I would assume an environment like CalTech is exactly the opposite.”

“Yes.  If nothing else the honor code keeps people from acting out like that.”

“Exactly.  So I have less to worry about.”

“Makes sense.  But why stay in this environment if it’s like that.  Why do you enjoy it?”

“Because in my experience every environment is like that.  A place like CalTech is the exception, not the rule.  But in this environment I can say no, have that no heard and accepted, and not be attacked for standing up for myself.  In this environment a powerful woman is respected and admired, not castigated or censured.”

Spencer was quiet a long moment.  “I’m sorry if I disrespected you in any way this morning.”

Huh?  “What do you mean?”

“Luca and I...”

“No, stop.”  Jessica shushed him.  “You didn’t do anything bad this morning.  You couldn’t have.”

“Couldn’t have?”

“Nope.  Not with Luca anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Spencer, I have spent the past year and a half exploring human sexuality, I’m not going to stop you from doing the same.  There are things you can explore with him that you can’t with me, and I’m okay with that.  I don’t mind sharing you with him, or with Pieter if it comes down to it.  I just need to know you’re safe and they are very, very safe.”

 “I didn’t quite realize that.”

“Well, now you know.”

Spencer considered this.  “Unconventional relationship huh?”

“Yes.  But it doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

“Good.”  He said, before curling up next to her once more.  “Because I love you too.”

* * *

 

**Bennington Sanitarium  
Las Vegas, NV**

**April 2000**

Another week, another Sunday.  As he had for months on end Spencer found his mother in the garden.  “Um, good afternoon Professor Reid.”

For months on end she had replied ‘Good afternoon.  Are you here for my 3pm lecture?’  But this time she looked up at him, an amused look on her face.  “I’m not delusional today Spencer.  Come here.”  She held her arms open for a hug.

Spencer breathed out a sigh of relief and accepted.  Dr. Norman had said that the new medication regime was finally working.  “Hello, Mom.”  It was so good to feel her here once more.  But while he had her there was one thing he had to say.  “Um, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He gestured at the facility around him.  “This.”

She huffed at him a little.  “Don’t be.”  She moved her books and patted the seat next to her.  “If I recall correctly I was about to suggest it to you.  I was going to ask you to help me find a place.  Maybe one somewhat less restrictive.”

He accepted the invitation.  “I don’t think you would have done as well in one less restrictive.”

“Perhaps.  Why didn’t you warn me?”  She asked, a little peevishly.  “Why did you just spring it on me like that?”

“I was going to.  I was going to come up Friday and tell you about it and help you pack.  You were going to move in on Saturday.”

“What happened?”

“While I was in class that morning they called asking if they could change the time.  Since they couldn’t talk to me they spoke to Aunt Ethel.”

Diana put up a hand.  “Say no more.  That explains everything.  Well, at least you chose a place that’s comfortable.  It’s not all plastic and fluorescent lighting.”

“No.  I thought you’d be the most comfortable here.”

“And my room is very nice.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Is Ethel still your back up?”

“No.  Um, do you remember my friend Jessica, from down the street?”

“Jessica.  Sam Hartwick’s granddaughter.  You had her bring me my meds a few times.  I remember her.”

“She’s your contact here in Vegas while I’m in Pasadena.  I’ll leave you her number if you want.”

“I do, thank you.”  But she was looking him over, evaluating.   “So this is serious then?”

“Serious?”

“You two have been a couple for three years.  Have you asked her to marry you?”

Spencer swallowed.  Twice.  Marriage?  But as soon as Mom said that... “I’m, um, thinking about it.”

“Good.  I always liked her; she has a good head on her shoulders.  You have my approval there.”

He blinked.  “Really?  I mean, I never....”

She smiled at him.  “I do want grandchildren someday.  Not too soon though, but someday.  That means I have to share you.”

Spencer stammered as he felt himself flush red.

Diana smiled at him.  “Don’t let your father and I be your example for marriage.  It’s a wonderful thing to have someone there, however long it lasts.  Try to keep it as long as you can.”

“I...I will.”

“Good.  And bring her by to visit.  Not every Sunday but once and a while.”

“I’ll do that.” 

“Excellent.  So how is school?”

* * *

 

**Atria Seville Assisted Living Community  
Las Vegas, NV**

“So where’s Spencer?”  Grandpa Sam asked.

Jess was sprawled on his floor, rubbing Bear’s belly.  “With his mom.  Diana’s on some new medication, they think she’ll actually be able to talk to him today.”

“So what’s she been doing up to now?”

“Lecturing.  She gives some amazing lectures on medieval literature.  Some of the residents out there were actually following along.”

“That’s nice I guess.”  He sat heavily in his recliner.  The years were starting to tell on him, Jess noticed.  He was looking older, more wrinkled, and moving more slowly these days.  Oh, but she wasn’t ready to think about that, not yet.  “So, he pop the question yet?”

“Pop the question?”  Jess sat up.  “You mean marriage?”

“I do indeed.”

“I’m only nineteen!”

“You’ll be twenty next month if my memory is right.”

“He’s eighteen!”

“And nineteen this year, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, in October”

“So, that’s not so young.  And you two are both mature for your age.  You’re working yourself through school, he’s on his, what, second PhD?”

“Yes.”

“So, there’s no reason not to.”  Grandpa Sam’s eyes closed.  “You have my blessing on it.  And I’d like to see you married before I see your Grandmother again.”

It took a moment for Jessica to realize what he was saying.  “Grandpa...”

“No, now.”  He opened his eyes and smiled at her.  “I ain’t dead yet.  But I’m not getting any younger, am I.  If he asks say yes.  He’s a go-getter that one.  You’ll do well there.  Now I’m going to take a little nap before we go get lunch.”

* * *

 

**Vickie’s Diner  
Las Vegas, NV**

“So I guess the question is, would you?”  Spencer asked as he poked a puddle of ketchup with a french fry.  “I mean in theory.”

“Get married?”  Kind of funny how the world worked.  Both parents had brought up the same topic on the same day.  “In theory...yes and no.”

“Yes and no?”

“See, from what I can tell marriage doesn’t mean much anymore.  I mean look at your Dad, or my Mom.  Any commitments they made went right out the window on a whim.  And how many happily married people do you know?”

“Um....”  Spencer thought about this for a while.  A large bite of a cheeseburger while.  “None, actually.”

“Exactly.  But look at the Dominant-submissive relationships we know.  Pieter and Luca have been together for four years now.  That’s four times as long as my mother’s marriage lasted without cheating.  Pris and Robin have been together for ten years now, that’s as long as your parent’s marriage.  And Mr. Gold Scales has been coming back for Heather for twenty-two years.  I don’t know anyone our parent’s age who’s been in a relationship that long.  The only relationship I know that went longer is my Grandparents and even though Grandpa Sam wasn’t a submissive...”

“Your grandmother was a Domme.”  He finished.  “So she likely thought of him that way.”

“Exactly.  As far as I’m concerned this...”  She pulled the key out from under her shirt.  “...and this...”  She reached over and fished the tag out from under his collar.  “...are mostly all the commitment I need.”

“Mostly?”

“A marriage ceremony would bring that commitment out of just the BDSM community and into the greater community.  But it wouldn’t mean a greater commitment, just sharing this commitment with more people.  It would also be a legal binding, if that mattered.  If nothing else it would mean we could look after each other’s families on legal grounds.”

Spencer grinned at her.  “Losers have to stick together.”  He downed a few more French fries.  “So, do you want to then?”

Jessica blinked at him a few times.  “Are you asking?”

“Ummm...”

“No, we have to do this together to be sure.  One...two...three...”

“Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you.”

The world seemed to hold still for a long moment as they realized what they had just done.  “Oh my god.”  Jessica said.

“Yeah, I know.”  Spencer replied.  “But how are we going to do this?  I mean, where are we going to live?”

Jessica thought about it a long moment.  “I’m committed to working for Heather until...um...the summer of 2006.”  She said.  “We’re just going to have to commute until then.  I mean, it’s no worse than we have now, we’ll just put off children for now.  I’ll be...twenty-six.  That’s still young enough for them.  And then I’ll move wherever you are.”

“And leave the house?”

“There are people in the lifestyle everywhere.  I don’t have to live in a house to be who I am.  And if we want a family we’d have to live somewhere else anyway.”

“I could move back to Vegas.”

Jess shook her head.  “You’d be too bored in Vegas.  You need a strong academic community.  And UNLV is not that.  No, we’ll commute until my contract is up and then find the perfect place.”

“If you’re okay with that.”

“I am.  Are you?”

“I wouldn’t mind living with you all the time, but for now it will have to do.”  He ate a few more fries.  “So what happens now?”

“You buy me a ring and then we tell everyone.  Including our families.”  But he was thinking.  “What?”  He wiped off his hands and fished a small box out of his bag.  Her jaw dropped.  “Oh you didn’t!”

“They were experimenting with something in the lab back at school.  Using a laser to turn gold black.  They made small amounts for jewelry.  When I saw how it looked with amethysts, I, um, had to, just in case we decided to do this.”  He pushed the box across the table.  “Do I need to get down on one knee?”

“Don’t you dare do anything that showy.”  She peeked.  The ring inside was a dark, rich purple, just the color of her rope and other tools and toys.  “Oh!”  She breathed.  “Are we really doing this?”

He looked at her with those hopeful puppy eyes.  “If you really want to.”

There was only one answer to that.  “I do.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

“I’m going to need a Best Man.”  Jessica said.

“I think Spencer is supposed to ask that meisie.”  A beaming Pieter replied.

“Spencer is asking Luca to be his Best Man.  I’m asking you to be my Best Man.  Unless you’d prefer I refer to you as my Maid of Honor.”

He beamed harder.  “Nope, Best Man it is.  And now you have two more reasons to help me.”

“What are we doing anyway?”

“What size shoe do you wear?’

“Seven-and-a-half medium, why?”

“Tuesday at three in room six.”

“You’re going to keep being mysterious?”

“I don’t want you backing out on me.”

* * *

 

Grandpa Sam danced a little when he heard the news.  “Good!  Good!  Now I get to walk you down the aisle.”

Jessica beamed.  “You’d better.”

* * *

 

“Excellent.”  Diana said as she nodded to her son.  “Now figure out how I can be there.”

“Um, I think it depends on your medication.”

“Just figure it out.”

* * *

 

_Chat Logs:_

_Jessie:  Spencer and I are getting married._

_Tam:  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_Jessie:  Bridesmaid?_

_Tam:  You know it!_

* * *

 

_Jessie:  Spencer and I are getting married._

_Lanny:  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_Jessie:  Bridesmaid?_

_Lanny:  Hells yes!_

* * *

02.

“Wait, you’re marrying a woman?”  Qi-Shi asked.

Spencer blinked at his two Caltech roommates.  “Yes.  That is the custom here.”

“You’ve been with this woman?”

There was one female Caltech student for every three male.  This conversation should not have been a surprise.  “Yes, I have.”

Qi-Shi looked up at Ethan.  “He’s been holding out on us.”

“Is this the one who manages a nightclub?”  Ethan asked.

“Yes.”

“Does she come with bridesmaids?”

“Of course.”

“Hot, showgirl bridesmaids?”

Spencer sighed.

* * *

 

_Chat logs:_

_Troy:  That is fucking awesome!_

* * *

 

“I don’t even know where to find my dad.”  Spencer said over another burger.

“Would you want him there if you did?”  Jessica asked.

“Good point.”

“Are you going to invite your Aunt and Uncle?”

“I think I kind of have to.  At least they behave themselves at weddings.  Are you going to invite your mother?”

Jessica sighed.

* * *

 

“Who is this?”  Kim Greico asked

“It’s your daughter.  Jessica.”

“Who?”

“Jessica.  I’m getting married.”

“So?”

* * *

 

“I would be honored to be the Mother of the Bride.”  Lady Heather said as she pulled them both into hugs.  “But don’t tell me you’re running off to the chapel or getting married in front of Elvis.  I’m throwing you two a proper wedding.  Unless you want the glitzy, Las Vegas show.” 

Spencer and Jessica looked at each other and shook their heads.  “Something quiet and sweet.”  Jessica said.

“Old-fashioned.”  Spencer added.  “Kind of traditional.”

“Done.”  Lady Heather replied.  She hugged Jess again just because.  “This is going to be wonderful!  I’ve never had a Domme marry on me before!  You two are going to have a sweet, old-fashioned country wedding!”

They both blinked at her.  “This is Vegas.”  Jessica said.  “Is that even possible?”

Heather gave her one of those smiles.  “It will be.”

* * *

 

Three o’clock.  Room six.  Wear hose.  “Okay, what are we...”  Jessica stopped as she walked in. 

The safety mats were up.  The ropes were put away.  A CD player was blaring out a very traditional Viennese waltz.  And Pieter, in actual dancing shoes, was swaying back and forth in front of the mirrors, waltzing with an invisible partner.  “What are you doing?”  She asked.

He looked back over his shoulder.  “Warming up.  Your shoes are there.”  He nodded to a box by a chair.

She went and had a look.  “Dancing shoes?  Ballroom dancing?”

“My Ouma insisted I take lessons when I was in school.  Got pretty good at it too, won a few trophies.  Haven’t had a decent partner since I moved to the states.”

“Why not Luca?”

Pieter shook his head.  “Eh, doesn’t work right.  Needs a woman’s body.  Now you are perfect for this for three reasons.”

“And what are those?”  The buckles on these shoes were dammed fiddly.  “Other than being female, I assume.”

“Number one, I didn’t say anything about Mine and Yours together, so you will keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone.  Number two, I’m going to be your Best Man, which means we’re going to be dancing in front of people and I don’t want you to embarrass me...”

She harrumphed at that.

“...and number three, you’re going to be dancing with Yours and with your Oupa in front of the whole crowd, and you don’t want to be embarrassing yourself.  Now then.”  He stopped in front of her and gave a deep, theatrical bow before he held out his hand.  “Come and dance with me.”

Jessica sighed and shook her head and accepted the invitation.  “You know you’re insufferable when you’re right.”

He flashed her a wicked grin.  “I know.  One of my better qualities.  Now, one two three...”

* * *

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**July 2000**

“It doesn’t surprise me that she’s never let you watch.”  Luca said.  “She doesn’t let me watch anymore.”

It was a Friday night.  Spencer had deliberately lied to Jess, telling her that he had to work this week-end.  There was something he needed to see, needed to know before they went through with the marriage.  He had come out to the House, met up with Luca, snuck in to change in Luca and Pieter’s rooms and hid there until now.  Now he and Luca were tucked into a corner of the main dungeon floor, watching the scene unfolding at the central St. Andrew’s Cross.  “Why not?”  Spencer asked.

“She gets wicked top drop sometimes.  I kept trying to help her through it and she kept pushing back.  Now she just doesn’t want me there.”  Luca sighed.  “Sometimes she gets it so bad she’s shaking.  But she just goes and hides in her room instead of letting us help her.”

Stubborn sounded like Jessica.  “Top drop?”

Luca took a deep breath.  “Look, what you usually see is practice, all right?  There’s no great emotional buy in there, no one is trying to make you feel anything.  But when you think of it, when they really get down to a scene tops let out some dark stuff.  I mean, most of the time they’re the most loving, nurturing people you’ll ever meet, but you have to have at least a little sadistic fucker in you to do what they do sometimes.  They wouldn’t be right in the head if they didn’t feel guilty and anxious and stressed out after letting all that out.  They’re not sociopaths, sometimes it really hits them after.”

“So what do you do to help them?”

“Remind them that you consented, that you wanted it, that you’re fucking happy buzzed out of your mind after.  Curl up in a big, warm pile and laugh with them, remind them that it’s all play and it feels amazing.  Except not her, Miss Jess goes off in her room and hides from the world and snaps like a bitch at anyone who comes near her, and I cannot figure out why.”

“That doesn’t make any sense to me.”  Spencer said.  “If there’s a right way to do something Jessica will do that.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Luca replied.  “But for this one thing she doesn’t.  You watch.”

Now they were watching the scene on the cross.  There was this couple, two men, who requested help with a scene.  One wanted to be tested, to have his pain tolerance pushed to the limit.  But the other, the Top, knew he only had the skills and strength to do so much.  He’d been exhausting his arms turning his lover’s ass and shoulders bright red and bruised, but when he dropped the other man, the Bottom, looked over his shoulder and panted out.  “That all you got?”

The Top grinned at him.  “Nope.”  He tossed the wicked looking cane on the table, went to join his lover at the cross, taking him by the hair and wrenching his head around as Top moved to the other side so he could watch over Bottom’s shoulder.

That was when Jessica stepped into the middle of the floor.

She looked so tall and so terrible, a predator stalking her prey.  Her focus was tight on the man on the cross as she unfurled a whip that looked evil even from a distance.  Her eyes met Top’s, and when he nodded she raised the whip and shook it.

It made the loudest crack Spencer had ever heard.

Bottom jumped in his bonds, his whole body gone wire tight.  Top was still speaking to him, focused on him, their eyes locked.  And then Top looked up at Jessica and nodded, just once.

Jessica lifted the whip.

It fell with an evil crack.

Bottom all but screamed.

As Spencer watched, wide eyed, a bright red stripe appeared across Bottom’s buttocks.

Jessica lifted the whip and let it fall again.

And again

And again

She was beauty in motion and terrible in purpose,  drawing shriek after shriek from Bottom’s throat as ruby red stripes appeared in a precise pattern on his skin.  Until one more fell and the sound from bottom’s throat changed as his knees gave out from under him and his limit was crossed.

Even as Top was signaling her to stop Jessica was coiling the whip.  As the room applauded the performance Top released Bottom from his bonds and caught him up, carrying him to the floor as Bottom broke out in wild sobs.  “That’s what he needed.”  Luca said quietly.  “That release.  I guess he needed to cry something out.”

“I guess.”  But Spencer’s focus was on Jessica.  She was calm, poised, as she cleaned off her whip and coiled it in her hand.  Her smile was cool and professional as she accepted the quiet accolades from her admirers.  It wasn’t until she turned back that he saw her mask start to slip.  It wasn’t until she turned back and stood for a long moment, watching Bottom crying in Top’s arms.

That was when he saw her hands start to shake.

“There she goes.”  Luca said.

Without a word Jessica turned and left the floor, heading for the passageway that would eventually take her to the residence hall.  Spencer elbowed Luca and they hurried to keep up.  “Jessica!  Wait!”  Spencer called out as soon as they were out of public view.

She spun around to stare at him, her eyes wide.

* * *

 

It wasn’t top drop.  It really wasn’t top drop.

Jessica knew she hadn’t done Benjamin the slightest bit of lasting harm.  Yes, he had some nasty bruises there, but he was healthy and strong, they would go away in time and while they lasted he would be proud of them.  And it wasn’t that she thought she was a horrible person.  Yes, there was something appealing about this, something that made her feel immensely strong that most people never felt, but it didn’t make her bad.  She channeled it in safe directions, always with consent, that was what mattered.

So it wasn’t top drop.

She knew what it was.

When she turned and saw Benjamin lying there in Scott’s arms, sobbing his heart out from the pain and the emotions all she wanted to do was to join them down there.  All she wanted to do was pull him into her arms and tell him that everything was going to be all right now, that it was over, that he was so brave and strong and wonderful for what he had done.  She wanted to wrap him in blankets and feed him cocoa and tuck him into her bed beside him and do whatever it took to bring him back up, back to that happy, goofy high that love and pleasure could bring until he was such a mess that he might never come down.  She would do anything to take him there, anything at all.

But if she did she would fall so deeply in love with him she would never be able to let him go.

So she didn’t.  She turned on her heel and left the room, fully intending to go back to her room and wrap around a pillow and shake until she stopped.  Because the one person she wanted in her arms right now, the one person she could cuddle and nurture and love with all her might, wasn’t here. 

And then he was.  “Jessica!  Wait!”

She turned and saw those eyes, so strong and so soft.  What if it was him?  What if it was him there, begging for relief, for caring, for her gentle, loving touch to ease him back from the dark to the light and the wonderful?  For a moment she could just picture it.  For a moment she could...

“Jessica?  What is it?”  Spencer asked.

And then his hand fell on her shoulder.

That one touch undid her.  That one touch brought down the wall she’d held up so long.  With one strong push she backed him against the wall and kissed him harder than anything ever before.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**July 2000**

Twenty minutes later....

“I...um...hope you...um...didn’t say no...at any point...in there.”

Jessica and Spencer were lying in their bed amidst the tattered remains of what had once been a very nice grey suit.  They were lying side by side, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch their breath.  Now Spencer chuckled in a way that could only come from an eighteen year old male who had just been well and truly satisfied.  “Nope.”

“Oh good.”  Jessica managed to turn her head to look at him.  That had not been about her pleasure, only his, and pleasure he had been given.  She could tell not only from the taste in the back of her throat but also from the look on his face.  Oh that was the goofy happiness she needed to see.  She rolled and curled around him, tucking him in like he was her personal teddy bear.  “Thank you.”  She murmured.

“Um, I think I’m supposed to say that.”  He was clearly too spent to move, which was fine by her.  “Feeling better?”

“Much.  You?”

“Not complaining.”

“Oh good.  I thought you had to work this week-end?”

“I lied.  I wanted to see you on the floor.”  He still couldn’t move, but he managed to look sideways at her.  “You can whip me for that if you like.”

“Never.”  Her fantasies were more than enough.  She could never hurt him.  And god help anyone who ever did.

“I mean, if it’s going to end like this.”  He said with a lazy smile.

She just chuckled at that.

“So that’s what straight blow jobs look like.”  Said a voice from the other side of the room.  “I’m impressed.”

Jessica lifted her head and spotted Luca sitting on the daybed under the window.  “You have got to be kidding me.”  She said, letting her head fall back to the pillow.  She reached down and pulled the quilt over Spencer.  Great.

Luca shrugged.  “You never told me to leave.”

“Spank you for a brat later.”

“If you wish. “  He got up and moved to stand by the bed.  “May I?”

Jessica patted the bed beside her, and Spencer didn’t say no, so Luca stretched out on top of the quilt.  “I told you it wasn’t top drop.”  She said.

“Nope.”  He replied.  “And it’s not the whipping that does it either.”

“What do you mean?”  Spencer asked.

“You were watching her.  Big Momma Domme here gets off on the after care.”  Luca was grinning at her.  “You just want to get in there and cuddle on everyone, don’t you?  You just wanna make it alllll better after all you big bad doms make all the boys cry.”

“Shut up.”  Jessica said, bopping him gently with a pillow.

“No, he’s right.”  Spencer replied, his own smile growing wider.  “Even back in counseling group you were always mothering everyone.  That’s how we first met.  I mean after we met at group, you saw me sitting outside crying and brought me home so you could cook dinner for me.  She makes awesome grilled cheese.”  He said to Luca.

“You like to mother people so much you get off on it.”  Luca said.

“I do not!”  Jessica replied.

“You just did.”  Spencer replied to that.

“It’s not that.”  Jessica insisted.  She rolled to contemplate the ceiling.  “Benjamin was so brave and so strong and so beautiful, I just wanted to make him feel better inside his skin.”

“Which means it’s exactly that.”  Luca said.  “So why didn’t you?”

“Because I wouldn’t want to let go after.  I couldn’t keep him.  He’s not mine.  It’s not my place.”

“I’m, you know, not complaining about the blowback here.”  Spencer said.

“What kind of a freak am I?”  Jessica groaned.

“A good kind.”  Luca replied.  “I mean, being pushed to your limits is awesome, but the best part is coming down in someone’s arms.  The real freaks are the ones who push you and dump you.  Or who are just freaks, you know, criminals.  We could test this, you know.  Get Pieter and Spencer and...”

“No!”  Jessica said, a little too loudly.

Both men turned to look at her.  “Pieter wouldn’t really hurt him.”  Luca pointed out.

“I.  Don’t.  Care.”  Jessica was still being too loud.  She turned to meet Spencer’s eyes.  “I don’t want you hurt.  Ever.”

“That is really sweet.”   He snuggled against her shoulder. 

“I don’t want you hurt either.”  She said to Luca.

“Aww.”  He replied, and snuggled in to her other shoulder.

“Quit it.”  She said gently, shrugging that shoulder to get him to move.  “You’re Pieter’s.”

“Yeah, but you’re his sister.  And that would make him really happy.”  He looked up at her with those big dark eyes.  “I’ll be your other teddy bear if you want.”

Jessica sighed.  Then she pulled them both in close.  She just couldn’t do anything else.

* * *

 

Two weeks later Spencer finally found something to do for the club.

Lady Heather had a client, wealthy, older, perhaps British, who had been complaining about not being able to find a really challenging chess partner.  So Heather politely asked Jessica if she might ask Spencer, and then asked Spencer if he was willing to take part in a semi-regular game.  The result was a quiet corner of the club floor, a truly lovely antique chess set, and mate in three moves.  “Bother.”  The gentlemen, known as Mr. Paddington, said as he laid down his king and conceded.  “So, who do you belong to?  To whom do I present my compliments?”

 “Mistress Jessica.”  Spencer replied.  It was still odd to be asked that.  But here it was the custom.  “I hope I wasn’t supposed to lose.”

“Heavens no.”  Mr. Paddington said.  “I asked Lady Heather if she could find a challenge for me, and you are certainly that.  Don’t you dare throw a game to me.”

Spencer smiled.  “Yes, Sir.”

“Good lad.  Now, rumor has it the Mistress Jessica is to be married.  Are you the fiancée in question?” 

“Yes, I am, actually.”

“In that case congratulations.”  Mr. Paddington turned in his seat, to watch Jessica torment the man on the cross in front of her.  “You are a very lucky young man, you know.  A very lucky young man.”

“Thank you.”  Spencer’s smile grew.  “That I am, Sir.”

They chatted for a bit, mostly about chess, the latest competitive matches and rankings, nothing personal.  Spencer asked a waitress to bring him some lemonade and whatever cookies were in the kitchen, reset the chess board, and in general settled in to his quiet corner.  Just about the time he was truly comfortable Jessica finished up.  As she always did she cleaned her whip as she accepted compliments.  Then she turned to check on her victim, to make sure he was being cared for,

When she turned and headed for Spencer he saw the needful, desperate look in his eyes.

“Well, I should take my leave.”  Mr. Paddington said.  “You’ll be around, I assume?”

“I’m usually in town Friday and Saturday nights.  I’m at university the rest of the time.  Mistress Jessica has my schedule.”

“I will speak to her then.  Very good.”

“Good evening Mr. Paddington.”  Jessica said as she approached the corner. 

“Good evening, Mistress.”  Mr. Paddington smiled.  “Impressive show.  And you have quite the young man there.” 

“Yes, I do, thank you.”

A few minutes of small talk and Mr. Paddington took his leave.  Spencer scooted so Jessica could fit in behind him, and wrap her arms and legs around him.  “Hi.”  She said to the crook of his neck.

“Hi.”  Spencer was in all ways right as a top.  There was nothing physically wrong, he was in a very comfortable place, he was under no stress at work or school, even his relationship with his mother was mending.  But that wasn’t what Jessica needed right now.  Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, he didn’t need to be pushed to his limit to remember what breaching those limits felt like.  He dipped into his memory of torment and loneliness and being utterly miserable in his skin, allowed himself to be in those memories for just a moment.  And then he met her eyes.

And with that one look the cool strength she wore and reveled in on the floor melted away.  Rather than taking hours to recover it took moments.  “Ohhhh.”  She sighed as she pulled him in even closer, cuddling him to take those memories away.  “Come here.  It’s all right.  You’re wonderful.”

Spencer smiled.  She could coo over him as long as she wanted.  He didn’t mind at all.  It was an expression of love that only served to help heal the past for them both.

They cuddle up in that quiet corner for the rest of the evening, in perfect peace.

* * *

 

**JW Marriott Hotel  
Las Vegas, NV**

**October 2000**

Somehow Heather pulled it off.  It was a soft setting, somewhat rustic, very old-fashioned, and somehow intimate.  It was perfect for the event.

The groom wore a cream colored three piece suit, which suited him perfectly.  The groom’s best man and groomsmen wore charcoal grey.  The bride’s best man wore black, because he utterly refused anything else.

The bridesmaids wore Alice blue. 

The bride wore white, a ball gown suited for a princess, and wore her curls loose and free down her back, and a wreath of roses with ribbons that danced in her hair. 

The groom walked his mother down, of course.  Dr. Norman went as her escort, to keep an eye on her throughout the event.  The groom’s best man walked Lady Heather down as Mother-of-the-bride, officially starting things off.

The bride walked down on her grandfather’s arm.  This started the sniffling in the assembled gathering.

They had more people there than they expected.  Somewhere along the line they had come up with more friends than they ever realized they had.

The ceremony was simple, and entirely about love.

There was dinner, of course.  Grandpa Sam, Diana, Dr. Norman and a friend of Grandpa Sam’s from the retirement home sat at their own, quiet table for Diana’s comfort.  Both parents agreed that this was the best thing that could have happened for their children.

After dinner there was dancing.  The bride and groom took the first dance and managed a passable waltz, notable for the way they were lost in each other.  Then the bride danced a sedate foxtrot with her grandfather and the groom with his mother, which made them all so very happy.  Sometime a bit later the by then a bit tipsy bride’s best man pulled her to the floor and showed them all what a proper Viennese waltz looked like, especially when the girl was wearing a dress like that.  Not long after Diana and Grandpa Sam went home, being tired in the best of ways, but the party went on for quite some time.

At one point the bride and groom stopped dancing long enough to go around the room and say hello to everyone.  It was then that Jessica met one of Spencer’s friends from school, a man he’d been speaking quite highly about for some time.  He wasn’t a tall man, dark, balding, older in a way that spoke more of stress than age perhaps.  It was his eyes she noticed.  Those eyes seemed to read her very soul.  Where had she seen eyes like that before?

“Um. I’d like you to meet...”  Spencer was kind of stammering.  So many introductions tonight.  “Um. This is the man I’ve been telling you about.  Um...Jessica...Reid...this is Jason Gideon.”

Mr. Gideon gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  “Very nice to meet you Mrs. Reid.”

Oh heavens.  “Jessica, please.”

“Jessica.”

* * *

 

They had a room in the hotel that night, but after a full and festive day they did nothing but sleep.

The next morning, however, was a different story.

When it was all over Jessica smiled as she squirmed under Spencer, and gave him one of those lazy, satisfied smiled.  “Look what you did.”  She said.

“I can see what I did.”  He put that smile on her face is what he did.  And it only deepened as he pressed kissed to her bare shoulder.

“No, look.”  She ran her hands over his bare wrists.  “No rope.”

“Uh uh.”  He held up his hand to show her.  He’d received more black gold from the physics department, and turned it into matching rings, hers with a triple band of amethysts, and his with three twists of metal anodized to purple.

Three twists of rope around his finger.

“See.”  He said.  “Right there.” 

Then he kissed her into the morning.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 5 – Work
> 
> I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.  
> \- Vincent Van Gogh  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .

**Chapter 42**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**November 2001**

“You got the call too, meisie?”  Pieter asked.

Jessica was walking briskly down the hall.  Lady Heather had called her over the internal phone, thankfully catching her right before she went to bed.  Come down to the parlor, immediately.  And she used the word Sienna, which meant an emergency that did not require calling 911.  So Jess had pulled on something appropriate and hurried down, only to meet Pieter doing the same thing.  “Yes.  Any idea?”

“Not a clue.”

“Hey.”  They turned another corner and nearly ran into Pris.  “What is going on?”

“Don’t know yet.”  Pieter replied.

They hurried down the front stairs and into the parlor without taking the time to knock, only to find the reason why there was no need to call 911.  The police were already there.  “Thank you all for coming so quickly.”  Lady Heather said.  She was too calm, tightly controlled.  This could not be good.  “These are Captain Jim Brass from the Las Vegas Police Department, and Dr. Grissom, Ms. Willows and Mr. Stokes from the crime lab.  This is my head of security Lord Pieter, Mistress Priscilla who helps with personnel matters and Mistress Jessica who manages our office.”

Pieter was senior under Heather, now he nodded politely.  “Pleasure.  What’s going on M’Lady?”

Heather took a deep breath.  “Mona is dead.”  She said.  “We will be assisting the police with their investigation in any way possible.  Please answer their questions with complete candor.”

That was entirely unexpected.  Jessica just blinked for a long moment.  She didn’t know Mona well, and what she knew of her she didn’t really like.  But dead was...that was a shock. 

“Oh no!”  Pris exclaimed.  “Oh my lord, what happened?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”  Captain Brass said.  He looked at Jessica.  “Office manager.  I’m guessing you’re the lady with the schedules and the files.  I’m going to need to see those.”

Mona dead.  Oh heavens.  Jessica was just grateful that Spencer was at a seminar.  “Of course.”

“I don’t suppose security includes CCTV?”  The younger one, Stokes, asked.

“It does.”  Pieter replied.  “This way.”

“Pass the word.”  Heather was saying to Pris.  “Have everyone gather in the dining hall.  Those with clients should come as soon as they are free.”

There was more, but Jessica was already leading Captain Brass back to her office.  “Mistress Jessica.”  He said.  “Is that your legal name?”

Jess smiled.  “No.  Jessica Reid.  Mistress is my house rank.”

“House rank?”

“Yes.  Houses follow different traditions, something like martial arts schools.  In our tradition a Master or a Mistress is a full-time dominant, a Lord or a Lady is one with more experience, one capable of leading a house.”

“So Lady Heather and Lord Pieter outrank you?”

“Yes.  I suppose you could say Lord Pieter is second in command but a house is usually run by a woman.”

“What about Mistress Priscilla out there?”

“She also outranks me.  I can’t say why she hasn’t been promoted but I do know that she refuses to work with our gay male customers and staff.”

“And that likely has something to do with it.”  Jessica nodded her confirmation.  Capt. Brass made a note.  “She out ranks you too, huh?  You’re at the bottom of the pile here?”

“I am.  I’m the youngest.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Three years now.”

“Since you were eighteen?  Couldn’t get into college?”

Jessica tried to keep the annoyance out of her smile.  “Stanford, Berkley and UCLA.  I’m a senior at UNLV now.  In here.”  She opened the door of her office and turned on the lights.

“You shut down at night?”

“Technically I’m the day shift manager.  But most of the paperwork is done on the day shift.  You needed the schedule for....”

“Last night.  Speaking of, where were you last night, about eight?”

Oh hell.  “In my room, in a video chat.”

“With a client?”

She sighed, just a little.  “With my husband.” 

“Husband?  At your age?”

“One year last month.  Here’s a copy of the schedule.”  She handed him the sheet fresh from the printer.

“I’m going to need to see her personnel file as well.  So who’s your husband?”

“Dr. Spencer Reid.  He’s a research fellow out at CalTech.”

“Does he know what you do?”

“Of course.  He stays here most week-ends.”

“But not this week-end.”

“No, he’s back east at a seminar.  That’s why we were chatting last night.”

“Where’s the seminar?”  Captain Brass asked.

Jessica’s smile was a little pointed.  “The FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.” 

Well that stopped Captain Brass right quick.  “Oh.”

“Yes.  I can give you his contact information, so you can confirm it with him if you like.  I believe he was using their network services as well.”  Jessica looked up as the door opened and a very confused and perhaps concerned Luca stuck his head in.  “Hey.  I’m a little busy right now...”

“I see that.”  Luca said, his eyes going from Captain Brass’ unfamiliar face to the badge on his belt just like that.

“Everyone’s going to the dining hall, I’ll be there in just a minute.  Or if you need Pieter he’s down in the security office.”

“I’ll head that way.”  Luca said, before he eased away.  The way he was acting Jessica rather thought he was going to be running to security.

“Is that...yours?”  Captain Brass asked once Luca had left.

Jessica was getting more than a little annoyed with the smirk on this man’s face.  But Heather said they had to cooperate.  “No.  _He_ is Pieter’s.  You know, I get that the way we choose to live can be hard to understand, but it might be relevant to what happened.  You would learn more from asking questions than from acting condescending.  Any of us would be willing to answer them.”

That seemed to take the wind out of his sails.  “Sorry.”  He said.  “I just have to wonder, what is a nice girl like you doing in a place like this, instead of at Stanford or UCLA?”

He might even be sincere about that, but she doubted it.  “Money.”  Maybe the truth would shake him up.  “It came down to office manager here or sleeping with my stepfather.  Here I get to keep my dignity and only sleep with my husband.”

“This was the only job you could get?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a shame.”

Jessica sighed.  “I don’t think so.”

* * *

 

Video Chat was the latest wonder.  The next morning Jessica sat in front of her bedroom computer having her very early morning coffee and talking to a familiar face on the screen.   “I still can’t believe it.”

“Do they know how it happened?”  Spencer asked.  “Where it happened?”

“It happened _here_.  She died during a _scene_.”  Jessica literally shuddered.  She could just imagine and she didn’t want to.  “He must have taken the body out through the staff entrance, there aren’t any cameras there.  Heather always insisted we have that privacy, but Pieter is furious.  He wants more cameras, more security....”

“Understandable.  Just be careful, all right?”

“I would never let myself get into that sort of a situation.  I’m just...”

“I know.  It’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so.”

* * *

 

**UNLV Main Campus  
 East Parking**

The next day Jessica and Luca were just leaving campus.  “Mistress Jessica.”  A familiar voice called to her as she was opening the jeep.  “You don’t look much like a Mistress today.”

She turned to the voice and flashed that cool smile.  “Captain Brass.”  She replied politely.  “No, appropriate dress is an important part of our lifestyle.  Including dressing as a student at school.  Can I help you?”

“You didn’t tell me that Arturo Greico is your stepfather.”

“It’s germain?  I left my family three years ago.  I’ve only briefly spoken to them since.”

“You know your brother...”

“Stepbrother.”

“...stepbrother was busted a few weeks ago.  Daddy pulled some strings and got him off, but they were both swearing that you were the one who dropped the dime on him.”

Jessica sighed.  “I haven’t even seen Anthony around in well over a year.  But they blame me for everything.  I’m safe from that at The Dominion.”

“Sure about that?”

Now that was disquieting.  “Yes.  Pieter keeps the place secure, so long as the rules are followed.  Mona didn’t.  And Arturo can’t afford Heather.”

Captain Brass smiled, he understood.  “Yeah, well, just be careful, all right?  Here.”  He handed her a business card.  “Just in case.  Lady Heather isn’t the only one he can’t afford.  You know your story makes sense now.”

Now Jessica had a real smile for him.  “Good to know.  Thanks.”

“Just take care of yourself.  And them.”  He nodded to Luca, waiting patiently in the passenger seat, but he meant Spencer too.

“Always.”

* * *

 

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

Another night, another round of video chat.  “And here I thought my family was leaving me alone.”  Jessica said, her pigtails swaying slightly.

“From what I’ve been able to research they are and they aren’t.”  Spencer replied.   He pushed his glasses further up his nose.  “They aren’t attacking you, they’re attacking a strawman.”

“I thought a strawman was a type of logical argument.”

“It is.  In psychology the definition is similar.  The so-called typical ‘attacking a straw man’ argument creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponent's proposition by covertly replacing it with a different proposition, i.e., ‘stand up a straw man’, and then to refute or defeat that false argument, knock down a straw man, instead of the original proposition.  In the psychological sense they covertly replace your persona with a completely different persona, a ‘strawman’  they’ve crafted to meet their needs.  Now they can knock down that strawman, push all the negative emotions they can’t carry, onto that false figure, and so remain psychologically stable if not healthy.   The problem is that the strawman wears the name ‘Jessica Greico’, and kind of looks like you.”

“But it’s not me.  My name is Jessica Reid and I’m very likely completely different.”

“Right.  As long as they don’t confuse the two and physically attack you it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I hope not.  Have the police here contacted you yet?”

“No.  But I’ve warned the reception desk here, they know to get a hold of me if they do call.”

“Good.”  Jessica sighed.  “Today’s staff meeting should be interesting, to say the least.”

* * *

 

“This happened because Mona didn’t own her sexuality.”  Lady Heather lectured the assembled staff that afternoon.  “She was ashamed of her submissive desires.  She wanted everyone to believe that she was a big bad Dominant all of the time.  Because of that she hid her submissive interactions, so there was no one watching out for her when things went wrong.  From now on I need everyone here to own their sexuality.  There is nothing shameful or wrong about being a submissive or a switch.  If anyone makes you feel that way you come to me.  Be honest about what you do with clients, let security know every move you plan to make and we will have your back.  If you can’t do that then you need to find another place to work.  Do you all understand?”

There was a general understanding.  After that Pieter stood up to inform them that they were expanding the rules and security to be there for everyone.  Including the camera network.  And that everyone would be taking shifts to monitor everyone else.

Jessica didn’t meet anyone’s eye.  She was glad they were doing this; more security meant more safety for everyone.  Especially in case someone decided to knock a strawman down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter correlates to CSI 02x08 "Slaves of Las Vegas". This originally aired on November 15, 2001.
> 
> (If you're wondering the Criminal Minds pilot aired on September 22, 2005. So we're getting there.)


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

**The Dominion  
Las Vegas, NV**

**June 2002**

“Okay, get in there together.” 

It was hard to imagine the very Dominant Lady Heather as maternal, but that was exactly how she was coming off today.  And like all loving mothers she was taking as many pictures as possible.  An ivy covered wall was her backdrop, and three young people in graduation gowns were her willing slaves for the moment.

Jessica pressed up against Spencer.  He’d objected to dragging his graduation gown all the way out here from CalTech, but Heather had insisted.  She wanted pictures of the two of them and three of them and so on.  Jessie had to privately admit, Spencer’s heavier gown black with all the velvet trim was a lovely contrast with her red one.  But his had looked remarkably silly on him. 

“Closer!”

He had to wrap an arm around her to balance.

The shutter clicked.

“Good!”

Thank heavens.

* * *

Later that day Heather presented them each with a gift.  “Just what every desk needs.”  She said

They opened the gifts.  Matching silver frames, the kind that opened like a book and held two pictures.  One side had a picture from earlier, of them in their graduation gowns.  The other had their wedding picture.  “Oh, it’s perfect!  Thank you!”

Hugs all around.

* * *

Vickie’s Diner  
Las Vegas, NV

July 2002

“So, I, um, have a job offer.”

Jessica looked up from her burger at Spencer.  “Awesome!  Where?”  He’d recently received his third PhD.  At this point it was looking less like a career path and more like a collection.  And he was actually getting bored with the PhD process.  He needed a challenge so she told him to go find one.

He let out a long sigh.  “That’s the problem.  Remember how I introduced you to Gideon?”

“Yes, at the wedding.”

“He’s an FBI agent.”

“Okay...”  Wait a minute.  “FBI?”

“He runs the Behavioral Analysis Unit.  They go after serial killers, the hardest criminals to catch.  Some of the challenges are just...I’ve never even seen problems like that!”  His enthusiasm was blatantly obvious.  “I could really help people!  Save lives!  I just...”

“Spencer.”  Pointing out some of the problems here was her job after all.  A Dominant had to be supportive but also practical.  “Do you really think you’re physically up to police work?”  All those years of what amounted to neglect had left him very, very skinny after all.

“Gideon said it was mostly desk work.  He can get waivers for me for the physical stuff.  But that’s not the problem.”

“What is?”

“The Academy.  It’s five months.  And the office is in DC.”

Crap.  They had been spoiled by CalTech’s relatively easy drive from Las Vegas.  “I promised Heather another four years.”  Jessica said.  “I won’t break that.  But I am getting paid something now, and you will be as well.  I’d bet there’s at least two flights a day out here.  We can make it work if you really want this.”

“But...will you be okay with moving to DC after?  With leaving your family here?  With leaving the house?”

“I told you when you proposed.  There are people in the lifestyle everywhere.  I don’t have to live in a house to be who I am.  And if we want a family we’d have to live somewhere else anyway.  None of that has changed, the only thing that will change is how often you can visit.”

“True.”  He took her hand, held it tight.  “Will you promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“Let Pieter and Luca help you while I’m gone.”

“It’s only five months...”

“Please.”

She never could say no to those puppy eyes.  “Fine.”

* * *

“I’m concerned.”  Heather said.  “I don’t know how this will affect their relationship.”

“It’ll strain it is what it will do.”  Dave replied.  He watched Heather pour tea.  “But she’s a very strong woman, she takes after her mother in that.”  He said with an understanding smile.

Heather returned it.  “I’m not her mother.”

“Really?” 

She shook her head at the look he gave her.  “Don’t look at me like that.  My concern is with the FBI finding out about her life here.  Could that affect his career?  Would that cause him to resent her?”

“Those are good questions.”  Dave sighed.  “It would be best if they didn’t find out.  My advice would be to not tell them.  Tell them that she went through a work study program for her employer, and is now managing a nightclub for them, that’s all.  Let them assume he means one of the major casinos; it’s where most people’s minds go when they think about Vegas.  Just don’t say much, let their own minds lie to them.  My only concern will be when he tries to get a security clearance.”

“I can help with that.  The Majority Whip is an old friend.”  She replied with a smile.

“Ah.  That’s who my competition is.”  He chuckled.  “I could help as well, if I knew who to watch out for.”

“Privacy is a thing here, you know.  You’ll be working with him from time to time.  And don’t tell me about retirement, that’s temporary and we both know it.”

“All right, all right.  But if you need anything...”

“I will call.  Now.”  Heather gave him one of those smiles and reached for his hand.  “What do you need?”

* * *

**Bennington Sanitarium  
Las Vegas, NV**

**September 2002**

“I’m so sorry Dr. Reid.”  The nurse said.  “We thought she was stable.”

“It’s all right.”  Spencer sighed.  He was going to raise one hell of a shiner.  He was just lucky she didn’t break any bones.  At least he didn’t think she broke any bones.  “I told her I’m planning on going in to the FBI and she worked herself up to the point of being delusional.  I should have been more careful.”

“You know, if she understood I’d bet she’d be proud of you.”

“I’m sure.  But perhaps I better stay away for now.  I don’t want to hurt her any more.”

 

 

 


End file.
